Not counting January 1, I believe today (January 21) will be the first federal American holiday of 2019. January 15 is Martin Luther King Jr.’s actual birthday but because of the Uniform Monday Holiday Act passed by Congress in 1968, Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be celebrated on the nearest Monday. The day is intended to celebrate the life and achievements of the influential American civil rights leader.
The idea of a Martin Luther King Day was promoted soon after his assassination in 1968. The Congressional bill creating the holiday was not signed until 1983 by President Reagan. The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986 but was not officially observed in all 50 states until the year 2000.
Obviously there was a lot of opposition when the holiday was proposed — the two main arguments were (1) a paid holiday for federal employees would be expensive and (2) a holiday to honor the birth of a private citizen who had never held public office would be contrary to the longstanding tradition.
The traditions of this first federal holiday of the year are in jeopardy this year. The government shutdown has closed sites that are popular to visit on King’s birthday… The historic Ebenezer Baptist Church and King’s birth home are closed as well as the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park (in Atlanta.)
In Washington, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, particularly popular on MLK Day is closed, along with the other 18 museums/galleries managed by the Smithsonian Institution. In Alabama the Selma-to-Montgomery March interpretive centers and the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site and Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site are dark.
So even if you’re not a government employee, the shutdown is beginning to disrupt everyday activities. There are a lot f people to “blame” for the situation we’re in, but maybe the White House should take heed to a statement made by Donald Trump in 2013: “A shutdown falls on the President’s lack of leadership. He can’t even control his own party and get people together in a room. A shutdown means the President is weak.”
Happy MLK Day…..
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