Monday honors the birthday of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the most prominent figure in the U.S. civil rights movement. 

The holiday, which is often shortened to MLK Day, is a federal holiday and the United States that is usually observed on the third Monday of January every year. This year the holiday falls on Monday, Jan. 15, which is King's actual birthday.

King’s advocacy for the African-American community started in the early 1950s after he rose to prominence as a pastor in Montgomery, Alabama. 

In March 1955, Claudette Calvin, a Black school girl, who refused to give up her seat to a white man, highlighted the time of Jim Crow laws and racial segregation in the South.

Later that year, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus as well. The two incidents led King and Edgar Nixon, an activist and civil rights leader, to start the Montgomery bus boycott which lasted 385 days. 

In 1963, violent attacks against civil rights demonstrators lead many activists to have a mass protest at the nations Capitol. 

The March on Washington was created by King and many civil rights leaders across the country to combat discrimination against African-Americans, Latinos, and other marginalized groups and to promote freedom and equality within the workforce. 

Before the march, President John F. Kennedy met with King, along with other activists, to voice his concern about the possible violence that could occur during the protest.  All the activists agreed that this march was necessary. To ensure that everything ran smoothly, Kennedy upped security at the Capitol. 

King’s famous ‘I Have A Dream’ speech made its debut that day. 

“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,” King said. 

The speech, which led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, in an attempt to end segregation barriers between minorities and white Americans.

After King’s, ‘I Have A Dream’ speech, the activist gained national recognition and became a prominent figure of the civil rights movement.  

On April 4, 1968, King was assassinated as he stood on the second-floor balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Four days after King’s of assassination Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) proposed MLK Day, which would make King’s birthday a federal holiday. 

On November 2, 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill which officially made MLK Day a federal holiday.  MLK Day is one of the federal holidays that is dedicated to National Day of Service, urging citizens to get involved in their communities, educate others about their civil rights and share their dreams about the future.