Image from the website for the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
“After a long struggle, legislation was signed in 1983
creating a federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King,
Jr. In 1994, Congress designated the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday as
a national day of service and charged the Corporation for National
and Community Service with leading this effort. Taking place each year
on the third Monday in January, the MLK Day of Service is the only federal
holiday observed as a national day of service – a "day on, not a day
off." The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the
President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from
all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing
national problems. The MLK Day of Service empowers individuals, strengthens
communities, bridges barriers, creates solutions to social problems, and moves
us closer to Dr. King's vision of a "Beloved Community."
