Weird, Wacky, and Traditional Holidays - Ep15 Show Notes

Today’s featured holiday is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!

Let’s begin with a question asked by Dr. King: “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?”

Dr. King. asked this question of everyone in the United States and beyond.

We’ll return to this question in a moment, but let’s first explore how Dr. King’s birthday become a federal holiday despite fierce opposition by some of our elected representatives.

Dr. King’s birthday ultimately became a federal holiday after his death, but enacting the law was not an easy legislative effort A bill was introduced in the House of Representative in 1979 by Democratic Representative John Conyers of Michigan. Republican Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts introduced the bill in the Senate.

The bill was first debated in the House. While there was bipartisan support from many Republicans and Democrats, the bill fell five votes short of passage. Those who opposed the bill pointed to the cost of creating another federal holiday and to historical precedent that restricted naming federal holidays for private citizens.

The King Center reached out to the corporate community and general public. In 1980, singer Stevie Wonder released the song, “Happy Birthday”. His song acted as an anthem for the movement to make Dr. King’s birthday a federal holiday.

A nation wide petition was launched that gained six million signatures. That was the largest number of people in history to sign a petition advocating for federal legislation.

In 1983, a new bill to name Dr. King’s birthday a federal holiday was filed. This time the bill sailed through the House of Representative by 338 to 90. It also passed the Senate with 78 in favor and 22 opposed. The legislation had strong bipartisan report among Republicans and Democrats.

President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2, 1983.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King said, “This is not a black holiday; it is a people’s holiday.” And she was right.

Dr. King was all about service. That is why his birthday is celebrated as a Day of Service. I encourage you to walk in Dr. King’s spirit and find a charitable organization or worthy project to dedicate time and money to.

I also encourage you to continue asking the same question voiced by Dr. King: What are you doing - what am I doing - for others?”

If you enjoyed today's show, share this episode with friends and family and on your social media. They’ll thank you for the gift.

Tune into tomorrow’s show to learn all about, “National Religious Freedom Day".

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This is your host, Stephen Carter, reminding you, this day is special, and so are you. Have fun, smile, and take action to help others today… and every day.