Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 19, 2009, at 1:46 pm | Leave a comment

Today we observe an important date in American History — Martin Luther King, Jr Day. Some are probably off from work, schools in Journal Square are closed, and some services in our city are closed as well.

As we all know, MLK, Jr. fought for the equality of people, and said that we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but by the content of our character.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr… I must say, YOU ROCK! I wish you’re alive to see the president-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration tomorrow (January 20, 2009)

Inside you’ll read what the JC Official site has on their homepage…

City Hall Closed on Dr. King’s Birthday

All Municipal Offices will be closed in observance of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday on Monday, January 19, 2009. Regular trash pick-ups will continue, but street sweepings will be suspended. Municipal Offices will reopen at 9 a.m., Tuesday, January 20, 2009.

Born on January 15, 1929, Dr. King was a prominent member and leader of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States from 1954 until his assassination on April 4, 1968. In1964, at the age of thirty-five, Dr. King became the youngest recipient to receive the Nobel Peace Prize.

While best known for his“I Have A Dream Speech,” delivered on the Mall in Washington, D.C. before 250,000 spectators in 1963, Dr. King’s “Letter From A Birmingham Jail” is considered by many scholars to be one of the outstanding pieces of 20th century literature.

In 1977, New Jersey became the first state in the nation to observe Dr. King’s Birthday as an official State Holiday. It wasn’t until nine years later, however, in 1986 that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day became a National Holiday. It is observed on the third Monday of every January.