Today we celebrate the life of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.  King was a Baptist preacher who was an activist, and prominent leader in the African-American civil rights movement. King is known worldwide for use of nonviolence  which made him a national icon in the history of American progressivism. 

Martin Luther King Jr. Day was established on November 2, 1983 in the Rose Garden of the White House when President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating the federal holiday.  It was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. After President George H. W. Bush's 1992 proclamation, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday. On January 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all fifty U.S. states. Arizona, New Hampshire and Utah were the last three states to recognize the holiday.