Martin Luther King Holiday, January 16

To mark the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr., the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism in the Civil Rights Movement, which protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

The holiday was observed for the first time on January 20, 1986. It is observed on the third Monday of January.

The holiday is often celebrated as a Day of Service, so a day on rather than a day off.

A worthy goal
worth striving for
our progress will be 
measured
in lives not needlessly lost
in rules no longer unevenly applied
on worth measured by values lived, not lies told
by having single standard
that applies to us all evenly.