For 15 years after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death activists rallied to make MLK Day a federal holiday. Here's how it happened. Hotspots ranked Start the day smarter ☀️ Funniest cap messages ...

In 1983, about 20 years after King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday of January cleared Congress and President Ronald Reagan signed it.

But Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on the third Monday in January due to the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which former President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law in 1968.

This year, Martin Luther King Jr. Day — or MLK Day — is on Monday, Jan. 20. MLK Day always takes place on the third Monday of January since it falls near his birthday, which is Jan. 15.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which always takes place on the third Monday in January, occurs on Monday, Jan. 20. The holiday honors the life and birthday of the influential civil rights leader.

Martin Luther King III, a civil rights activist and the son of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, spoke to CBS News on MLK Day and Trump's inauguration.

The federal government shuts down on the third Monday of every January for the day to honor Martin Luther King Jr. This year, that day is Jan. 20. The holiday in his honor is timed to honor King ...

Efforts from King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, lawmakers, activists and others took years. Here’s what you need to know about how Martin Luther King Jr. Day became a holiday. When is MLK Day 2025?

On Nov. 3, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill marking the third Monday of January, as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, according to the center. The holiday was to begin in 1986.