Martin Luther King Jr. day is the day that we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and all he has done for the progression of equal rights. April 4th, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated by James Earl Ray. King was shot from Ray’s balcony and was fatally wounded.

Soon after his assassination, the public started pushing for a holiday to commemorate King as a way to honor all he had done for this country in the progression of equal rights. It took around 15 years for Congress to come to a decision about the creation of MLK Day, with it falling short five votes the first time around. Finally, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed the official documents and in 1986 later the holiday was observed. The holiday takes place on the third Monday of January.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and social rights activist in the ’50s and ’60s before his assassination. He organized many peaceful protests and gave many speeches such as the famous “I Have a Dream” speech he gave on August 28th, 1963.

In his “I Have a Dream” Dr. King called for civil and economical rights and the end of racism in America. King’s speech sparked the Civil Rights Movement of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

King was inspired by Gandhi’s nonviolent protests. He was moved by the power for standing up against oppression with “truth force”. Satyagraha means “holding to the truth” in Hindu, which is where “truth force” comes from. It is a non-violent form of protesting.

Martin Luther King Jr. impacted the United States and his philosophy continues to move and inspire people today.