Martin Luther King Day 2019 – what day does it fall on and when was the civil rights leader killed?

His life was cut short when he was assassinated at age 39, but he still gave African-Americans the courage to speak up against injustice. Here we tell you everything about him and how he is remembered today.

When is Martin Luther King Day 2019?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an American federal holiday.

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15 – and the holiday falls on the nearest Monday to this date.

This year it will be observed on January 21.

Several cities and states began to mark the day in 1971, just three years after his death, and the date became an American federal holiday in 1986.

Hundreds of streets in the United States have been renamed in King's honour, as well as a whole county in Washington State.

Who was Martin Luther King Jr.?

King was born in 1929 and became a Baptist minister and activist by leading the movement of nonviolent civil disobedience.

He led the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, where black people refused ride the bus instead of having to give their seats to white people.

It was sparked by the arrest of Rosa Parks when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat and the campaign lasted for a year.

In 1963 he organised his March on Washington and delivered his famous “I Have a Dream speech”.

He is known as one of the greatest public speakers in American history.

King received a Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his nonviolent fight against racial inequality.

In 1968, he was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4.

How is Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrated?

The day is a federal holiday so civil servants and most school pupils get the day off.

Some private companies opt to have a paid holiday on MLK Day.

It is a day to educate kids and adults about race relations and over the years it has evolved into a “day of service” – when Americans are encouraged to volunteer.

The US financial markets will be closed for the day.

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