Martin Luther King, Jr. was an influential leader during the Civil Rights Movement. He was also a great speaker, and his powerful words resonate with us today.

Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.
–Martin Luther King, Jr., (1929-68)

IS MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY A FEDERAL HOLIDAY?

Since 1986, the third Monday in January has been a federal holiday in observance of the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, Nobel Peace Prize winner, and civil rights leader dedicated to nonviolence.

This is a day to honor King’s principles, perhaps best exemplified by his famous “I Have a Dream” speech, delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963: “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.’”

For more about this leader, go to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site of the National Park Service.