Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2025

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday celebrates the life and legacy of a man who brought hope and healing to America. We commemorate the timeless values he taught us through his example — courage, truth, justice, compassion, dignity, humility, and service that so radiantly defined Dr. King’s character and empowered his leadership. This holiday commemorates the universal, unconditional love, forgiveness, and nonviolence that empowered his revolutionary spirit.

Dr. King was born in the segregated south of Atlanta, Georgia. He entered the Christian ministry after receiving a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology, a Bachelor's Degree in Divinity, and a Doctorate Degree in Systematic Theology. In his lifetime, he assumed many leading roles in the Civil Rights Movement and continuously spoke out for universal justice and peace. Learn more about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement on the National Park Service's website .

“The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”

On August 27, 1984, President Reagan established a commission (98 Stat. 1473 ) to assist in the first observance of the Federal legal holiday honoring Martin Luther King Jr., and on January 18, 1986, President Reagan signed Proclamation 5431 (100 Stat. 4396), marking the first observance of his birthday a national holiday.

On August 23, 1994, President Clinton signed the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday and Service Act (108 Stat. 1565), expanding the mission of the holiday as a day of community service, interracial cooperation and youth anti-violence initiatives. In 1999, Title 4, United States Code, (113 Stat. 1285), was amended to add the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday to the list of days on which the flag should be displayed.

Additional Resources

• AmeriCorps is the Federal agency leading the “MLK Day of Service” effort, encouraging Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Check out AmeriCorps’ website and find out ways you can engage with your community while honoring Dr. King’s legacy.
• Connect with a cause you care about on the Volunteer.gov website. Managed by Federal agencies, use their portal to find volunteer opportunities across the country.
• Browse photographs of Dr. King on the Library of Congress' Online Prints and Photograph Catalog.
• Plan a visit to the National Museum of African American Culture and History in Washington D.C. and see the exhibition "A Changing America: 1968 and Beyond", which "explores contemporary black life through stories about the social, economic, political, and cultural experiences of African Americans".
• In honor of the Birthday of Dr. King, National Park Service sites will have free admission for everyone on Monday, January 20, 2025, as the first fee-free day of the year. Visit the National Park Service's website for details. The National Park Service asks that you recreate responsibly and check the park's website for hours of operations and other trip planning information.