Martin Luther King Jr Day - how is it celebrated?

Martin Luther King Jr was undoubtedly one of the most important figures of the 20th century, and the work he did with regards to the Civil Rights Movement will forever be remembered. Martin Luther King Jr was possibly the individual who did more than any others with regards to equal rights for black people in America, and even after his unfortunate death in 1968, he has remained an iconic figure throughout all of America - and the world for that matter.

Indeed, Martin Luther King Jr did an unprecedented amount of work with regards to equal rights, and was the youngest person to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and discrimination through non-violent means. His unfortunate assassination in April 1968 was met with widespread grief from people of all ethnic backgrounds, and as such, people across America come together to celebrate Martin Luther King Day on the third Monday of January each year - around the time of Dr Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday.

However, while the holiday was first observed in 1986, it was only officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in the year 2000. Interestingly, the holiday is even observed outside the US - in Toronto, Canada, and the Japanese city of Hiroshima. While people all over the world obviously respect the work that Dr King did, these are the only non-American cities that officially recognise the holiday. Hiroshima's mayor holds a special banquet at his office on the day to unify his city's call for peace with Dr King's original message of human rights, while Toronto observes the holiday mainly because of the number of people of American descent in the city.

Within America, the day is celebrated in a variety of ways. For instance, across the country there are interfaith breakfasts, speeches, recitals and parades. However, because of the fact that the holiday is relatively new, there aren't many particular traditions associated with it - at least not across the entire country.

Results from recent survey have shown that 69% of US respondents weren't planning to do anything for Martin Luther King Jr Day. Similarly, the fact that it falls on a Monday seems to have hampered the ability for many Americans to celebrate the day fully - with 59% saying they will be working on the day. However, the fact that many Americans won't be doing anything in particular on Martin Luther King Jr Day doesn't mean that people won't be thinking of his ideals on the day, and it would appear that the effects of his work are still being felt to this day, with 63% of US respondents in the same survey agreeing that there has been significant progress toward Martin Luther King's dream of racial equality.

Martin Luther King Jr Day remains one of the most important holidays in the American calendar. The work that Dr Martin King Jr did throughout his life remains unprecedented to this day, and will never be forgotten.