He Had a Dream

40th Federal Observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Photo from ntritchew's artcle from cliftonhill.com / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in 1929 and lived until 1968, when he was assassinated by James Earl Ray in Memphis, Tenn. Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) is a federal holiday celebrating the life, legacy and achievements of King, who was an influential figure in the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. He’s well known for employing nonviolent activism in the fight for racial equality.

“To this day, we often hear MLK referenced when we hear about nonviolent protest,” upper school English teacher Lauren Fantle said. “And when we hear about taking the time to appreciate a person’s ability and skills that goes way beyond their ethnicity or the color of their skin.”

The holiday is annually observed on the third Monday of January, near King’s birthday.

MLK Day was officially signed into law in 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, but wasn’t celebrated by all 50 states until 2000. A petition created by MLK’s wife, Coretta Scott King, garnered 6 million votes and put pressure on states to recognize the holiday.

“It’s an opportunity to take a moment to appreciate the civil rights that MLK helped develop,” Fantle said. “It’s a time to appreciate just how far we have come as a country but also to look forward and see how far we have to go.”

This year, the holiday fell on Jan. 19. Maclay students were given the day off school and many employees had the day off work, resulting in post offices, banks, stock markets and other services being closed. One change to the 2026 observance was no free admission to national parks, where volunteer projects would typically take place. President Donald Trump had removed MLK day from the list of federal holidays that offer free access.

“I do really like having the federal holiday where we share quotes and look back and look forward,” Fantle said. “I think what we are doing is great and we need to keep doing that.”

King tirelessly fought for racial equality, organizing protests even after being arrested 29 times. He is most remembered for his “I Have a Dream” speech, recited at the 1963 March on Washington. King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.

“The dream is not yet finished,” upper school history teacher Timothy Fitzpatrick said.