Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Here's what you should know about the man and the holiday
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The second holiday of 2024 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The holiday is celebrated around the United States in recognition of the man who led a nonviolent movement in the mid 1900s for legal equality for African-Americans in the United States.
Here's what you should know about the man and the holiday.
When is Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024?
The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday will be Jan. 15, 2024.
Is Martin Luther King Jr. Day a holiday?
Yes. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal and Florida holiday.
Is MLK Day on Jan. 15 every year?
No. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on Jan. 15, but the federal holiday was set for the third Monday in January in 1983, according to the National Constitution Center.
By 2000, all 50 states had made it a state holiday.
Is it Martin Luther King Jr. or MLK Day?
Martin Luther King Day is often shortened to MLK Day or MLK Jr. Day.
What is King-Lee Day?
Alabama and Mississippi are the only two states that recognize both Martin Luther King Jr.'s and Robert E. Lee's birthdays together on one state holiday.
Who is Martin Luther King Jr.?
King led a nonviolent movement in the late 1950s and 1960s to achieve legal equality for African Americans in the United States.
"During the less than 13 years of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s leadership of the modern American Civil Rights Movement, from December 1955 until April 4, 1968, African Americans achieved more genuine progress toward racial equality in America than the previous 350 years had produced," the King Center said.
His “I Have a Dream” speech, Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech and “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” are among the most revered orations and writings in the English language.
King was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.
How do you celebrate MLK Day?
Cities throughout the U.S. celebrate the day with marches, parades and speeches.
Some people and organizations volunteer to support the MLK Day of Service.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration marred by gunfire in Florida
Eight people were shot and four others were injured while fleeing the scene at the 772 MLK Car Show & Family Fun Day in Fort Pierce on Jan. 16, 2023.
All eight of the shooting victims, who were all adults, were taken to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital. One of the victims, who had been in critical condition, died the next morning.
“Today, Chief Deputy Hester and I were honored to be in the Martin Luther King Jr. parade along Martin Luther King Blvd. Sadly, within hours of that parade ending, we are investigating a shooting in a county park located at Avenue M and 13th Street in which eight people have been shot,” said St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara.
The U.S. Marshal Service arrested Kemmye Riccardo Parson, 28, of Fort Pierce, in March at a Tampa hotel. Among the charges were: attempted first-degree murder with a firearm, second-degree murder, possession of firearm or ammunition by a felon.
Is there a theme for Martin Luther King Day 2024?
Yes. The theme for 2024 is "It starts with me: Shifting the cultural climate through the study and practice of Kingian nonviolence," according to the King Center.
"The pioneering work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. demonstrated that Kingian Nonviolence is the sustainable solution to injustice and violence in our world, ultimately leading to the creation of the Beloved Community, where injustice ceases and love prevails."
What is the King Center's definition of nonviolence?
"Nonviolence is a love-centered way of thinking, speaking, acting, and engaging that leads to personal, cultural and societal transformation."
What are Dr. King's principles of nonviolence?
According to the King Center, Martin King King Jr. had six principles of nonviolence, which were inspired by Jesus Christ and Mahatma Gandhi.
King said the six principles should be embraced as a lifestyle. The six principles are:
Nonviolence is a way of life for courageous people.
Nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
Nonviolence seeks to defeat injustice or evil, not people.
Nonviolence holds that unearned, voluntary suffering for a just cause can educate and transform people and societies.
Nonviolence chooses love instead of hate.
Nonviolence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Martin Luther King Jr Day: 11 things to know about federal holiday
