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.
King was the chief spokesman 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.
In light of #BlackLivesMatter protests across the country, people have been reflecting on how #MartinLutherKing Jr. would have responded to the deaths of #MichaelBrown, #EricGarner, #TamirRice and many other black men and women who have been killed by police.
19-year-old spoken-word poet Sarah O’Neal recites her poem “An Overreaction,” where she speaks about Dr. King and her frustration at having to defend the protests.
