Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
have the fine and luxurious things <strong>of</strong> life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a<br />
committed life behind.<br />
Martin Luther King Jr. Day<br />
Beginning in 1971, cities such as St. Louis, Missouri, and states established annual<br />
holidays to honor King. At the White House Rose Garden on November 2, 1983,<br />
President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King.<br />
Observed for the first time on January 20, 1986, it is called Martin Luther King Jr. Day.<br />
Following President George H. W. Bush's 1992 proclamation, the holiday is observed<br />
on the third Monday <strong>of</strong> January each year, near the time <strong>of</strong> King's birthday.<br />
On January 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was <strong>of</strong>ficially<br />
observed in all fifty U.S. states. Arizona (1992), New Hampshire (1999) and Utah (2000)<br />
were the last three states to recognize the holiday. Utah previously celebrated the<br />
holiday at the same time but under the name Human Rights Day.<br />
Liturgical Commemorations<br />
King is remembered as a martyr by the Episcopal Church in the United States <strong>of</strong><br />
America with an annual feast day on the anniversary <strong>of</strong> his death, April<br />
4. <strong>The</strong> Evangelical Lutheran Church in America commemorates King liturgically on the<br />
anniversary <strong>of</strong> his birth, January 15.<br />
UK legacy and <strong>The</strong> Martin Luther King Peace Committee<br />
Banner at the 2012<br />
Republican National Convention<br />
In the United Kingdom, <strong>The</strong> Northumbria and<br />
Newcastle Universities Martin Luther King Peace<br />
Committee exists to honor King's legacy, as<br />
represented by his final visit to the UK to receive an<br />
honorary degree from Newcastle University in<br />
1967. <strong>The</strong> Peace Committee operates out <strong>of</strong> the chaplaincies <strong>of</strong> the city's two<br />
universities, Northumbria and Newcastle, both <strong>of</strong> which remain centers for the study <strong>of</strong><br />
Martin Luther King and the US civil rights movement. Inspired by King's vision, it<br />
undertakes a range <strong>of</strong> activities across the UK as it seeks to "build cultures <strong>of</strong> peace."<br />
In 2017, Newcastle University unveiled a bronze statue <strong>of</strong> King to celebrate the 50th<br />
anniversary <strong>of</strong> his honorary doctorate ceremony. <strong>The</strong> Students Union also voted to<br />
rename their bar 'Luthers'.<br />
Page 68 <strong>of</strong> 201
Change language