How Martin Luther King Jr. day became a holiday
Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist. He fought for people of color’s rights and woman’s rights. He is also a Nobel Peace prize winner. On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated on his hotel balcony in Memphis. On April 8, 1968, Rep. John Conyers introduced legislation for a federal holiday. Next year, on January 15, 1969, people started having annual celebrations and they tried to gain support for the holiday. Finally in 1979, President Jimmy Carter called on Congress to vote to make Dr. King day a holiday. The bill did not pass. Finally on November 3, 1983, President Ronald Regan signed a bill for Dr. King day to be a holiday. The holiday started in 1986.
