Martin Luther King Jr. Day - wikipedia Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day King in 1964 Official name Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Also called MLK Day, King Day, Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day Observed by United States Type National Date Third Monday in January 2017 date January 16 ( 2017 - 01 - 16 ) 2018 date January 15 ( 2018 - 01 - 15 ) 2019 date January 21 ( 2019 - 01 - 21 ) 2020 date January 20 ( 2020 - 01 - 20 ) Frequency Yearly Martin Luther King Jr. Day ( officially Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. ) is an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around King 's birthday, January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21. King was the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King 's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000. Contents 1 History 2 State - level passage 3 Alternative names 4 Workplace observance 5 King Day of Service 6 Outside the United States 7 Dates 8 See also 8.1 Other holidays honoring African Americans 8.2 Other civil rights holidays 9 References 10 Further reading 11 External links History Sign ( 1969 ) promoting a holiday on the anniversary of King 's death This article is part of a series about Martin Luther King Jr. Biography Sermons and speeches Campaigns Montgomery bus boycott Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom Youth March for Integrated Schools Albany Movement Birmingham campaign Walk to Freedom March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom St. Augustine movement Selma to Montgomery marches Chicago Open Housing Movement March Against Fear Memphis sanitation strike Poor People 's Campaign Death and memorial Assassination American federal holiday National memorial National Historical Park Ronald Reagan and Coretta Scott King at the Martin Luther King Jr. Day signing ceremony. The idea of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions in contract negotiations. After King 's death, U.S. Representative John Conyers ( a Democrat from Michigan ) and U.S. Senator Edward Brooke ( a Republican from Massachusetts ) introduced a bill in Congress to make King 's birthday a national holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979. However, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive, and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition ( King had never held public office ). Only two other figures have national holidays in the U.S. honoring them : George Washington and Christopher Columbus. Soon after, the King Center turned to support from the corporate community and the general public. The success of this strategy was cemented when musician Stevie Wonder released the single `` Happy Birthday '' to popularize the campaign in 1980 and hosted the Rally for Peace Press Conference in 1981. Six million signatures were collected for a petition to Congress to pass the law, termed by a 2006 article in The Nation as `` the largest petition in favor of an issue in U.S. history. '' Senators Jesse Helms and John Porter East ( both North Carolina Republicans ) led opposition to the holiday and questioned whether King was important enough to receive such an honor. Helms criticized King 's opposition to the Vietnam War and accused him of espousing `` action - oriented Marxism ''. Helms led a filibuster against the bill and on October 3, 1983, submitted a 300 - page document to the Senate alleging that King had associations with communists. New York Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan declared the document a `` packet of filth '', threw it on the Senate floor and stomped on it. President Ronald Reagan originally opposed the holiday, citing cost concerns. When asked to comment on Helms ' accusations that King was a communist, the president said `` We 'll know in thirty - five years, wo n't we ? '', in reference to the eventual release of FBI surveillance tapes that had previously been sealed. But on November 2, 1983, Reagan signed a bill, proposed by Representative Katie Hall of Indiana, to create a federal holiday honoring King. The bill had passed the House of Representatives by a count of 338 to 90, a veto - proof margin. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. The bill also established the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission to oversee observance of the holiday, and Coretta Scott King, King 's wife, was made a member of this commission for life by President George H.W. Bush in May 1989. State - level passage Although the federal holiday honoring King was signed into law in 1983 and took effect three years later, not every U.S. state chose to observe the holiday at the state level until 1991, when the New Hampshire legislature created `` Civil Rights Day '' and abolished `` Fast Day ''. In 2000, Utah became the last state to have a holiday named after King when `` Human Rights Day '' was officially changed to `` Martin Luther King Jr. Day. '' In 1986, Arizona Governor Bruce Babbitt, a Democrat, created a paid state MLK holiday in Arizona by executive order just before he left office, but in 1987, his Republican successor Evan Mecham, citing an attorney general 's opinion that Babbitt 's order was illegal, reversed Babbitt 's decision days after taking office. Later that year, Mecham proclaimed the third Sunday in January to be `` Martin Luther King Jr. / Civil Rights Day '' in Arizona, albeit as an unpaid holiday. In 1990, Arizona voters were given the opportunity to vote on giving state employees a paid MLK holiday. That same year, the National Football League threatened to move Super Bowl XXVII, which was planned for Arizona in 1993, if the MLK holiday was voted down. In the November election, the voters were offered two King Day options : Proposition 301, which replaced Columbus Day on the list of paid state holidays, and Proposition 302, which merged Lincoln 's and Washington 's birthdays into one paid holiday to make room for MLK Day. Both measures failed to pass, with only 49 % of voters approving Prop 302, the more popular of the two options ; although some who voted `` no '' on 302 voted `` yes '' on Prop 301. Consequently, the state lost the chance to host Super Bowl XXVII, which was subsequently held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. In a 1992 referendum, the voters, this time given only one option for a paid King Day, approved state - level recognition of the holiday. On May 2, 2000, South Carolina governor Jim Hodges signed a bill to make King 's birthday an official state holiday. South Carolina was the last state to recognize the day as a paid holiday for all state employees. Prior to this, employees could choose between celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. Day or one of three Confederate holidays. Alternative names While all states now observe the holiday, some did not name the day after King. For example, in New Hampshire, the holiday was known as `` Civil Rights Day '' until 1999, when the State Legislature voted to change the name of the holiday to Martin Luther King Day. Several additional states have chosen to combine commemorations of King 's birthday with other observances : In Alabama : `` Robert E. Lee / Martin Luther King Birthday ''. In Arizona : `` Martin Luther King Jr. / Civil Rights Day ''. In Idaho : `` Martin Luther King Jr. -- Idaho Human Rights Day ''. In Mississippi : `` Martin Luther King 's and Robert E. Lee 's Birthdays ''. In New Hampshire : `` Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day ''. In Virginia : it was known as Lee -- Jackson -- King Day, combining King 's birthday with the established Lee -- Jackson Day. In 2000, Lee -- Jackson Day was moved to the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day, establishing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday in its own right. In Arkansas : it was known as `` Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 's Birthday and Robert E. Lee 's Birthday '' from 1985 to 2017. Legislation in March 2017 changed the name of the state holiday to `` Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 's Birthday '' and moved the commemoration of Lee to October. Workplace observance A Martin Luther King Day march in Oregon Overall, in 2007, 33 % of employers gave employees the day off, a 2 % increase over the previous year. There was little difference in observance by large and small employers : 33 % for firms with over 1,000 employees ; and, 32 % for firms with under 1,000 employees. The observance is most popular among nonprofit organizations and least popular among factories and manufacturers. The reasons for this have varied, ranging from the recent addition of the holiday, to its occurrence just two weeks after the week between Christmas and New Year 's Day, when many businesses are closed for part or sometimes all of the week. Additionally, many schools and places of higher education are closed for classes ; others remain open but may hold seminars or celebrations of King 's message. The observance of MLK Day has led to some colleges and universities extending their Christmas break to include the day as part of break. Some factories and manufacturers used MLK Day as a floating or movable holiday. King Day of Service President Barack Obama serving lunch at a Washington soup kitchen on MLK Jr. Day, 2010 The national Martin Luther King Day of Service was started by former Pennsylvania U.S. Senator Harris Wofford and Atlanta Congressman John Lewis, who co-authored the King Holiday and Service Act. The federal legislation challenges Americans to transform the King Holiday into a day of citizen action volunteer service in honor of King. The federal legislation was signed into law by President Bill Clinton on August 23, 1994. Since 1996, Wofford 's former state office director, Todd Bernstein, has been directing the annual Greater Philadelphia King Day of Service, the largest event in the nation honoring King. Several other universities and organizations around the U.S., such as Arizona State University, Greater DC Cares and City Year, participate in the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service. In honor of MLK, hundreds of Volunteer Centers, and volunteers across the country donate their time to make a difference on this day. The only other official national day of service in the U.S., as designated by the government, is September 11 National Day of Service ( 9 / 11 Day ). Outside the United States One place outside the U.S. where Martin Luther King Jr. Day is observed with equal importance is in the Japanese city of Hiroshima under mayor Tadatoshi Akiba, who holds a special banquet at the mayor 's office as an act of unifying his city 's call for peace with King 's message of human rights. The City of Toronto, in Ontario, Canada, is another city that has officially recognized Martin Luther King Jr. Day, although not as a paid holiday : all government services and businesses remain open. In 1984, during a visit by the U.S. Sixth Fleet, Navy chaplain Rabbi Arnold Resnicoff conducted the first Israeli presidential ceremony in commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, held in the President 's Residence, Jerusalem. Aura Herzog, wife of Israel 's then - President Chaim Herzog, noted that she was especially proud to host this special event, because Israel had a national forest in honor of King, and that Israel and King shared the idea of `` dreams ''. Resnicoff continued this theme in his remarks during the ceremony, quoting the verse from Genesis, spoken by the brothers of Joseph when they saw their brother approach, `` Behold the dreamer comes ; let us slay him and throw him into the pit, and see what becomes of his dreams. '' Resnicoff noted that, from time immemorial, there have been those who thought they could kill the dream by slaying the dreamer, but -- as the example of King 's life shows -- such people are always wrong. Every year, since 1986, the Dr. Martin Luther King Tribute and Dinner is held in Wassenaar, The Netherlands. The Tribute includes young people and veterans of the Civil Rights Movement as well as music. it always ends with everyone holding hands in a circle and singing `` We Shall Overcome. '' The Tribute is held on the last Sunday in January and bridges Dr. King 's birthday and Black History Month. Dates 1985 -- 2100 Year January 21 1985 1991 2002 2008 2013 2019 2030 2036 2041 2047 2058 2064 2069 2075 2086 2092 2097 January 20 1986 2003 2014 2020 2025 2031 2042 2048 2053 2059 2070 2076 2081 2087 2098 January 19 1998 2009 2015 2026 2032 2037 2043 2054 2060 2065 2071 2082 2088 2093 2099 January 18 1999 2016 2021 2027 2038 2044 2049 2055 2066 2072 2077 2083 2094 2100 January 17 2000 2005 2011 2022 2028 2033 2039 2050 2056 2061 2067 2078 2084 2089 2095 January 16 1995 2006 2012 2017 2023 2034 2040 2045 2051 2062 2068 2073 2079 2090 2096 January 15 2007 2018 2024 2029 2035 2046 2052 2057 2063 2074 2080 2085 2091 See also Association for Leaders in Volunteer Engagement Association for Volunteer Administration Civic Engagement Community Service Global Youth Service Day Good Deeds Day International Volunteer Day International Year of Volunteers Mandela Day Mitzvah Day National Philanthropy Day ( U.S. and Canada ) National Public Lands Day ( U.S. ) Public holidays in the United States Random Acts of Kindness Day Sewa Day Make A Difference Day World Kindness Day Other holidays honoring African Americans Malcolm X Day Rosa Parks Day Harriet Tubman Day Other civil rights holidays Susan B. Anthony Day Cesar Chavez Day Harvey Milk Day References Jump up ^ `` Federal Holidays ''. Opm.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2014. ^ Jump up to : Jones, William P. ( January 30, 2006 ). `` Working - Class Hero ''. The Nation. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Wolfensberger, Don ( January 14, 2008 ). `` The Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday : The Long Struggle in Congress, An Introductory Essay '' ( PDF ). Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Archived from the original ( PDF ) on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Dewar, Helen ( October 4, 1983 ). `` Helms Stalls King 's Day in Senate ''. The Washington Post. p. A01. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Romero, Frances ( January 18, 2010 ). `` A Brief History of Martin Luther King Jr. Day ''. Time. Jump up ^ Courtwright, David T. ( 2010 ). No Right Turn : Conservative Politics in a Liberal America. Cambridge, Massachusetts : Harvard University Press. p. 13. ISBN 0 - 674 - 04677 - 3. Jump up ^ Younge, Gary ( September 2 -- 9, 2013 ). `` The Misremembering of ' I Have a Dream ' ''. The Nation. Retrieved April 12, 2015. Jump up ^ Woolley, John T. ; Gerhard Peters ( November 2, 1983 ). `` Ronald Reagan : Remarks on Signing the Bill Making the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a National Holiday ''. The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Pub. L. 98 -- 399, 98 Stat. 1475, enacted November 2, 1983 Jump up ^ Woolley, John T. ; Gerhard Peters ( May 17, 1989 ). `` George Bush : Remarks on Signing the Martin Luther King Jr., Federal Holiday Commission Extension Act ''. The American Presidency Project. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 16, 2011. Jump up ^ Pub. L. 101 -- 30, 103 Stat. 60, enacted May 17, 1989 Jump up ^ Gilbreth, Donna ( 1997 ). `` Rise and Fall of Fast Day ''. New Hampshire State Library. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011. ^ Jump up to : Petrie, Phil W. ( May -- June 2000 ). `` The MLK holiday : Branches work to make it work ''. The New Crisis. Retrieved November 12, 2008. Jump up ^ Ye Hee Lee, Michelle ( January 15, 2012 ). `` Recalling Arizona 's struggle for MLK holiday ''. The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 20, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Civil Rights Day in United States ''. timeanddate.com. Time and Date AS. Retrieved April 12, 2015. ^ Jump up to : `` tucsonsentinel.com ''. tucsonsentinel.com. Retrieved February 5, 2013. Jump up ^ Shumway, Jim ( November 26, 1990 ). `` STATE OF ARIZONA OFFICIAL CANVASS -- GENERAL ELECTION -- November 6, 1990 '' ( PDF ). Arizona Secretary of State ~ Home Page. Arizona Secretary of State. p. 12. Retrieved April 11, 2015. Jump up ^ Reingold, Beth ( 2000 ). Representing Women : Sex, Gender, and Legislative Behavior in Arizona and California. Univ of North Carolina Press. pp. 66 --. ISBN 9780807848500. Retrieved May 4, 2014. Jump up ^ The History of Martin Luther King Day, Infoplease Jump up ^ Goldberg, Carey ( May 26, 1999 ). `` Contrarian New Hampshire To Honor Dr. King, at Last ''. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Calendar ''. Alabama.gov. Jump up ^ `` 1 -- 301. Holidays enumerated ''. Arizona Legislature. Jump up ^ `` TItle 73 ''. Idaho.gov. Jump up ^ `` State Holidays ''. MS.gov. Jump up ^ `` CHAPTER 288 HOLIDAYS ''. New Hampshire General Court. Jump up ^ Duran, April ( April 10, 2000 ). `` Virginia creates holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr ''. On The Lege. Virginia Commonwealth University. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved January 17, 2011. Jump up ^ Cody, Karen James ( January 9, 2007 ). `` More Employers Plan to Observe Martin Luther King Day ''. Bureau of National Affairs. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Volunteer opportunities and resources for organizing an MLK Day of Service event ''. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service homepage. Corporation for National and Community Service. Jump up ^ `` Greater Philadelphia Martin Luther King Day of Service ''. Global Citizen. Jump up ^ Moore, Doug ( January 16, 2011 ). `` MLK events in Missouri form man 's legacy ''. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Jump up ^ `` Mayor 's Speech at U.S. Conference of Mayors ' Luncheon in commemoration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. '' www.city.hiroshima.lg.jp. Jump up ^ Miller, David ( 2008 ). `` City of Toronto Proclamation ''. City of Toronto. Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Jump up ^ The Jewish Week & The American Examiner, pg 37, February 3, 1986. Jump up ^ Library of Congress Veterans History Project Oral History, Arnold Resnicoff, May 2010. At 1 hour 37 Min. http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/vhp/story/loc.natlib.afc2001001.70629/mv0001001.stream. Jump up ^ `` Martin Luther King, Jr. Tribute Dinner ''. U.S. Embassy & Consulate in the Netherlands. 2017 - 01 - 30. Retrieved 2017 - 03 - 30. Further reading Staff writer ( Spring 1998 ). `` Colleges and universities that do n't observe the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday ''. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. JBHE Foundation, Inc. 19 : 26 -- 27. doi : 10.2307 / 2998887. JSTOR 2998887. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission at the Federal Register Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service official government site King Holiday and Service Act of 1994 at THOMAS Remarks on Signing the King Holiday and Service Act of 1994, President William J. Clinton, The American Presidency Project, August 23, 1994 Works by or about United States Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday Commission in libraries ( WorldCat catalog ) The King Center for Nonviolent Social Change Martin Luther King Jr. Speeches, movements, and protests Speeches `` Give Us the Ballot '' ( 1957 ) `` I Have a Dream '' ( 1963 ) `` How Long, Not Long '' ( 1965 ) `` Beyond Vietnam : A Time to Break Silence '' ( 1967 ) `` I 've Been to the Mountaintop '' ( 1968 ) Writings Stride Toward Freedom : The Montgomery Story ( 1958 ) The Measure of a Man ( 1959 ) `` What Is Man ? '' `` Second Emancipation Proclamation '' Strength to Love ( 1963 ) Letter from Birmingham Jail ( 1963 ) Why We Ca n't Wait ( 1964 ) Conscience for Change ( 1967 ) Where Do We Go from Here : Chaos or Community ? ( 1967 ) Movements and protests Montgomery bus boycott ( 1955 -- 1956 ) Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom ( 1957 ) Albany Movement ( 1961 -- 1962 ) Birmingham campaign ( 1963 ) March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom ( 1963 ) St. Augustine movement ( 1963 -- 1964 ) Selma to Montgomery marches ( 1965 ) Chicago Freedom Movement ( 1966 ) Mississippi March Against Fear ( 1966 ) Anti-Vietnam War movement ( 1967 ) Memphis sanitation strike ( 1968 ) Poor People 's Campaign ( 1968 ) People Family Martin Luther King Sr. ( father ) Alberta Williams King ( mother ) Christine King Farris ( sister ) A.D. King ( brother ) Coretta Scott King ( wife ) Yolanda King ( daughter ) Martin Luther King III ( son ) Dexter Scott King ( son ) Bernice King ( daughter ) Alveda King ( niece ) Other leaders Ralph Abernathy ( colleague ) Ella Baker ( colleague ) James Bevel ( strategist / colleague ) Dorothy Cotton ( colleague ) Jesse Jackson ( protégé ) Bernard Lafayette ( colleague ) James Lawson ( colleague ) John Lewis ( colleague ) Joseph Lowery ( colleague ) Benjamin Mays ( mentor ) Diane Nash ( colleague ) James Orange ( colleague ) Bayard Rustin ( advisor ) Fred Shuttlesworth ( colleague ) C.T. Vivian ( colleague ) Wyatt Walker ( colleague ) Hosea Williams ( colleague ) Andrew Young ( colleague ) Assassination James Earl Ray Lorraine Motel ( now National Civil Rights Museum ) Funeral MLK Records Act Riots Loyd Jowers trial United States House Select Committee on Assassinations Media Film King : A Filmed Record... Montgomery to Memphis ( 1970 documentary ) Our Friend, Martin ( 1999 animated ) Boycott ( 2001 film ) The Witness : From the Balcony of Room 306 ( 2008 documentary ) Alpha Man : The Brotherhood of MLK ( 2011 documentary ) Selma ( 2014 film ) All the Way ( 2016 film ) Television King ( 1978 miniseries ) `` The First Store '' ( The Jeffersons episode, 1980 ) `` Great X-Pectations '' ( A Different World episode, 1993 ) `` The Promised Land '' ( New York Undercover episode, 1997 ) `` Return of the King '' ( The Boondocks episode, 2006 ) Plays The Meeting ( 1987 ) The Mountaintop ( 2009 ) I Dream ( 2010 ) All the Way ( 2012 ) Illustrated Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story ( 1957 comic book ) Music `` Abraham, Martin and John '' ( Dion ) `` March ! For Martin Luther King '' ( John Fahey ) `` Martin Luther King 's Dream '' ( Strawbs ) `` Happy Birthday '' ( Stevie Wonder ) `` Pride ( In the Name of Love ) '' ( U2 ) `` MLK '' ( U2 ) `` King Holiday '' ( King Dream Chorus and Holiday Crew ) `` By The Time I Get To Arizona '' ( Public Enemy ) `` Shed a Little Light '' ( James Taylor ) `` Up to the Mountain '' ( Patti Griffin ) `` Never Alone Martin '' ( Jason Upton ) `` Symphony Of Brotherhood '' ( Miri Ben - Ari ) Joseph Schwantner : New Morning for the World ; Nicolas Flagello : The Passion of Martin Luther King ( 1995 album ) `` A Dream '' ( Common featuring Will.i.am ) `` Glory '' ( Common and John Legend ) Related topics Southern Christian Leadership Conference ( SCLC ) Martin Luther King Jr. Day Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial National Historical Park King Center for Nonviolent Social Change Dexter Avenue Baptist Church National Civil Rights Museum Authorship issues Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity Season for Nonviolence U.S. Capitol Rotunda sculpture Oval Office bust Homage to King sculpture, Atlanta Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. sculpture, Houston Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, San Francisco Landmark for Peace Memorial, Indianapolis Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. statue, Milwaukee The Dream sculpture, Portland, Oregon Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library Memorials to Martin Luther King Jr. Eponymous streets America in the King Years Civil Rights Movement in popular culture Lee -- Jackson -- King Day Martin Luther King High School ( disambiguation ) Lycée Martin Luther King ( disambiguation ) Federal holidays in the United States Current New Year 's Day Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Washington 's Birthday Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Columbus Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Former The Eighth ( 1828 -- 1861 ) Victory Day ( 1948 -- 1975 ) Proposed Flag Day ( 1950 ) Election Day ( 1993 ) Malcolm X Day ( 1993 -- 1994 ) Democracy Day ( 2005, 2014 ) Cesar Chavez Day ( 2008 ) Susan B. Anthony Day ( 2011 ) Native American Day ( 2013 ) Official holidays of the New York Stock Exchange Whole days New Year 's Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day Washington 's Birthday Good Friday Memorial Day Independence Day Labor Day Thanksgiving Day Christmas Day Partial days Day before Independence Day Day after Thanksgiving Christmas Eve Holidays, observances, and celebrations in the United States January New Year 's Day ( federal ) Martin Luther King Jr. Day ( federal ) Confederate Heroes Day ( TX ) Fred Korematsu Day ( CA, FL, HI, VA ) Idaho Human Rights Day ( ID ) Inauguration Day ( federal quadrennial, DC area ) Kansas Day ( KS ) Lee -- Jackson Day ( formerly Lee -- Jackson -- King Day ) ( VA ) Robert E. Lee Day ( FL ) Stephen Foster Memorial Day ( 36 ) The Eighth ( LA, former federal ) January -- February Super Bowl Sunday February American Heart Month Black History Month Washington 's Birthday / Presidents ' Day ( federal ) Valentine 's Day Georgia Day ( GA ) Groundhog Day Lincoln 's Birthday ( CA, CT, IL, IN, MO, NJ, NY, WV ) National Girls and Women in Sports Day National Freedom Day ( 36 ) Primary Election Day ( WI ) Ronald Reagan Day ( CA ) Rosa Parks Day ( CA, MO ) Susan B. Anthony Day ( CA, FL, NY, WI, WV, proposed federal ) February -- March Mardi Gras Ash Wednesday ( religious ) Courir de Mardi Gras ( religious ) Super Tuesday March Irish - American Heritage Month National Colon Cancer Awareness Month Women 's History Month St. Patrick 's Day ( religious ) Spring break ( week ) Casimir Pulaski Day ( IL ) Cesar Chavez Day ( CA, CO, TX, proposed federal ) Evacuation Day ( Suffolk County, MA ) Harriet Tubman Day ( NY ) Holi ( NY, religious ) Mardi Gras ( AL ( in two counties ), LA ) Maryland Day ( MD ) National Poison Prevention Week ( week ) Prince Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole Day ( HI ) Saint Joseph 's Day ( religious ) Seward 's Day ( AK ) Texas Independence Day ( TX ) Town Meeting Day ( VT ) March -- April Easter ( religious ) Palm Sunday ( religious ) Passover ( religious ) Good Friday ( CT, NC, PR, religious ) Easter Monday ( religious ) April Confederate History Month 420 Day April Fools ' Day Arbor Day Confederate Memorial Day ( AL, MS ) Days of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust ( week ) Earth Day Emancipation Day ( DC ) Thomas Jefferson 's Birthday ( AL ) Pascua Florida ( FL ) Patriots ' Day ( MA, ME ) San Jacinto Day ( TX ) Siblings Day Walpurgis Night ( religious ) May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month Jewish American Heritage Month Memorial Day ( federal ) Mother 's Day ( 36 ) Cinco de Mayo Harvey Milk Day ( CA ) Law Day ( 36 ) Loyalty Day ( 36 ) Malcolm X Day ( CA, IL, proposed federal ) May Day Military Spouse Day National Day of Prayer ( 36 ) National Defense Transportation Day ( 36 ) National Maritime Day ( 36 ) Peace Officers Memorial Day ( 36 ) Truman Day ( MO ) June Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month Father 's Day ( 36 ) Bunker Hill Day ( Suffolk County, MA ) Carolina Day ( SC ) Emancipation Day In Texas / Juneteenth ( TX ) Flag Day ( 36, proposed federal ) Helen Keller Day ( PA ) Honor America Days ( 3 weeks ) Jefferson Davis Day ( AL, FL ) Kamehameha Day ( HI ) Odunde Festival ( Philadelphia, PA ) Senior Week ( week ) West Virginia Day ( WV ) July Independence Day ( federal ) Lā Hoʻihoʻi Ea ( HI, unofficial ) Parents ' Day ( 36 ) Pioneer Day ( UT ) July -- August Summer vacation August American Family Day ( AZ ) Barack Obama Day ( IL ) Bennington Battle Day ( VT ) Hawaii Admission Day / Statehood Day ( HI ) Lyndon Baines Johnson Day ( TX ) National Aviation Day ( 36 ) Service Reduction Day ( MD ) Victory over Japan Day ( RI, former federal ) Women 's Equality Day ( 36 ) September Prostate Cancer Awareness Month Labor Day ( federal ) California Admission Day ( CA ) Carl Garner Federal Lands Cleanup Day ( 36 ) Constitution Day ( 36 ) Constitution Week ( week ) Defenders Day ( MD ) Gold Star Mother 's Day ( 36 ) National Grandparents Day ( 36 ) National Payroll Week ( week ) Native American Day ( CA, TN, proposed federal ) Patriot Day ( 36 ) September -- October Hispanic Heritage Month Oktoberfest Rosh Hashanah ( religious ) Yom Kippur ( religious ) October Breast Cancer Awareness Month Disability Employment Awareness Month Filipino American History Month LGBT History Month Columbus Day ( federal ) Halloween Alaska Day ( AK ) Child Health Day ( 36 ) General Pulaski Memorial Day German - American Day Indigenous Peoples ' Day ( VT ) International Day of Non-Violence Leif Erikson Day ( 36 ) Missouri Day ( MO ) National School Lunch Week Native American Day ( SD ) Nevada Day ( NV ) Sweetest Day White Cane Safety Day ( 36 ) October -- November Diwali ( religious ) November Native American Indian Heritage Month Veterans Day ( federal ) Thanksgiving ( federal ) Day after Thanksgiving ( 24 ) Election Day ( CA, DE, HI, KY, MT, NJ, NY, OH, PR, WV, proposed federal ) Family Day ( NV ) Hanukkah ( religious ) Lā Kūʻokoʻa ( HI, unofficial ) Native American Heritage Day ( MD, WA ) Obama Day ( Perry County, AL ) December Christmas ( religious, federal ) Alabama Day ( AL ) Christmas Eve ( KY, NC, SC ) Day after Christmas ( KY, NC, SC, TX ) Festivus Hanukkah ( religious, week ) Indiana Day ( IN ) Kwanzaa ( religious, week ) National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day ( 36 ) New Year 's Eve Pan American Aviation Day ( 36 ) Rosa Parks Day ( OH, OR ) Wright Brothers Day ( 36 ) Varies ( year round ) Eid al - Adha ( religious ) Eid al - Fitr ( religious ) Ramadan ( religious, month ) Legend : ( federal ) = federal holidays, ( state ) = state holidays, ( religious ) = religious holidays, ( week ) = weeklong holidays, ( month ) = monthlong holidays, ( 36 ) = Title 36 Observances and Ceremonies Bold indicates major holidays commonly celebrated in the United States, which often represent the major celebrations of the month. See also : Lists of holidays, Hallmark holidays, public holidays in the United States, New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. 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Question: when was mlk day made a national holiday
Answer: 1983