Searcy(LP) Martin Luther King Jr. Day was on Monday, January 16, 2017. It was an American federal holiday marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Many people didn’t need to go to school or work on this day.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated to commemorate not only the legacy of King’s civil rights achievements but also to celebrate and be reminded of his dreams of tolerance and equality. “This day encourages and celebrates interracial volunteering and service projects, with many organizations, churches, and neighborhoods participating. ” said Heidi Haddix, a student at Cross Pointe Preparatory. On the King Holiday, young people learn about the power of unconditional love even for one’s adversaries as a way to fight injustice and defuse violent disputes. Martin Luther King was born on January 15, 1929, Atlanta, Georgia. He became the predominant leader in the Civil Rights Movement to end racial segregation and discrimination in America during the 1950s and 1960s. He helped millions of people in the fight for racial equality and unfortunately he was assassinated before his work was complete. Martin Luther King had a famous speech called “I Have a Dream”  which is now considered to be among the great speeches of American History. This speech called not only for rights for blacks, but for the rights of all people, moreover, for friendship and unity among all Americans. “Martin Luther King is a very important person in American history. His speech represented the desire of equal human rights and freedom.” said Kim, a member at Westside Church. The King Holiday honors the life and contributions of America’s greatest champion of racial justice and equality, the leader who not only dreamed of a color-blind society but who also lead a movement that achieved historic reforms to help make it a reality. “I think Martin Luther King Jr. Day means the civil rights to the U.S. and it also means on this day, most people don’t have to go to work or school. However, our school didn’t have the day off on January 16th, 2017.” said Alyssa, a freshman at Cross Pointe Preparatory.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day reminded people about the history of the equal human rights and freedom. In addition, many people enjoyed their day off on Monday.