Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King’s birthday, January 15. The campaign for a federal holiday in Martin Luther King Jr.’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. Despite opposition from various US states, President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was observed three years later. Unfortunately, some states resisted observing the holiday, so it was officially observed inall 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a strong spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. Martin Luther King Jr. helped to change many unfair laws and showed us how important it is to love and respect each other despite the skin color. During his time on Earth, he fought many discrimination battles, led many dangerous protests and marches, where black people were beat, called racial slurs, bitten by dogs, sprayed with powerful water hoses and sometimes killed. Often times, black people were arrested for participating in these widespread events trying to fight for equality in America.

I often wonder what Martin Luther King Jr. would say today if he was still here on Earth. Black and white people are able to attend the same schools, eat at the same restaurants, live in the same neighborhoods, shop at the same stores, drink from the same water fountains, but yet we are still divided as Americans.

Where do we go from here? Well, we can start by reading and learning about our black history. It is important to know what happened to our ancestors in the past so we can grow and learn in order to move forward. We need to teach our children about history facts, responsibility, reality for what we know it to be, and how to stand for what is right. I don’t know about you, but I know for a fact that racism is alive and well in America and abroad. Not only what you read about in the local newspaper or watch on your local news, but I have experienced racism first hand. You cannot change a person’s heart and how they were taught to feel about you because of the color of your skin. I don’t try to change people’s thoughts about me, but I do live my life as an example of how an American should live every day, not just on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.