17 January – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (3rd Monday of January, traditionally 15 Jan.)

Martin Luther King, Jr

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a U.S. federal holiday marking the anniversary of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday in January of each year, or about the time when the king's birthday , Jan. 15. The floating holiday equivalent to the party under the Uniform Monday Holiday, although the action preceded the creation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of fifteen.

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. Ronald Reagan signed the Holidays Act in 1983 and was first seen January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other parties. It has been officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.