Holidays
Martin Luther King Jr. Day: When It Is, Why It's a Monday and How the Holiday Was Won
MLK Day is a federal holiday on the third Monday of January. Here's the next date, what the law calls it, and the 15-year campaign that turned Dr. King's birthday into a national holiday.
When is MLK Day
The next Martin Luther King Jr. Day is on Monday, January 18, 2027. It is a federal holiday, set by law on the third Monday of January (5 U.S.C. 6103), so it always gives a three-day weekend.
The law does not use the name most people know. Its official title is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., the wording you will see on the federal holiday list published by the Office of Personnel Management. It is one of the 11 federal holidays and the first of the year after New Year's Day.
MLK Day in the coming years
| Year | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Monday, January 18, 2027 | long weekend |
| 2028 | Monday, January 17, 2028 | long weekend |
| 2029 | Monday, January 15, 2029 | long weekend |
| 2030 | Monday, January 21, 2030 | long weekend |
| 2031 | Monday, January 20, 2031 | long weekend |
Who Martin Luther King Jr. was
He was born Michael King at 501 Auburn Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929, and later became known as Martin Luther King Jr. A Baptist minister, he became a leader of the civil rights movement, from the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955 to the voting rights marches in Selma in 1965.
On August 28, 1963, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom brought more than two hundred thousand people to the Lincoln Memorial. In December 1964 he received the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo. On April 4, 1968, he was shot and killed on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
A 15-year fight for a holiday
The campaign started almost at once. Four days after the assassination, Representative John Conyers of Michigan introduced a bill to make King's birthday a federal holiday. It would take fifteen years to become law.
Pressure grew from outside Congress. In 1980 Stevie Wonder released the song "Happy Birthday" as an anthem for the cause, and in 1981 Coretta Scott King, King's widow, led a large march on Washington in support of the holiday. Millions of Americans signed petitions.
Congress passed the bill in October 1983. President Ronald Reagan signed it in the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983, with Coretta Scott King and members of the King family present. The law (Public Law 98-144) created the holiday, and the first federal MLK Day was held on January 20, 1986.
Timeline
- 1929Michael King, later Martin Luther King Jr., is born in Atlanta.
- 1963The March on Washington draws more than 200,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial.
- 1964King receives the Nobel Peace Prize.
- 1968King is killed in Memphis. Four days later, Rep. John Conyers introduces the first holiday bill.
- 1983Congress passes the bill and President Reagan signs it on November 2.
- 1986First federal observance, on January 20.
- 1994Congress makes the holiday a national day of service.
- 2000All fifty states formally recognize the holiday.
The states held out longer
A federal holiday only applies to federal employees and federal offices. Each state decides its own calendar, and several resisted. Some states paired the day with Confederate Memorial Day or Robert E. Lee's birthday, and others did not give state workers paid time off.
It took until 2000, fourteen years after the first federal observance, for all fifty states to formally recognize the holiday, according to historian Hasan Kwame Jeffries of Ohio State University.
A national day of service
In 1994 Congress gave the holiday a second purpose and made it a national day of service, a call for Americans to spend part of the day volunteering in their communities in Dr. King's honor.
For federal workers and many others, it is also the first long weekend of the year. If you want to stretch it, check the vacation planner.
FAQ
Is MLK Day a federal holiday?
Yes. It is one of the 11 federal holidays, on the third Monday of January. Its legal name is Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr.
When is the next MLK Day?
On Monday, January 18, 2027. There are 68 days to go.
Why isn't MLK Day on January 15?
The law places it on the third Monday of January, not on a fixed date. It only falls on January 15 when that date is a Monday.
When was the first MLK Day?
The first federal observance was on January 20, 1986, more than two years after President Reagan signed the law in November 1983.
Is the Federal Reserve closed on MLK Day?
Yes. The Federal Reserve lists the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. among its holidays.
Related dates
- Presidents' DayMonday, February 15, 2027
- JuneteenthSaturday, June 19, 2027
- New Year's DayFriday, January 1, 2027
