The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963. He chose this location, among other things, to honor President Abraham Lincoln as “a great American in whose symbolic shadow we stand today.” Millions of people now honor King in the same way.

On the third Monday in January – just before King’s birthday on January 15th – federal, state and local governments, institutions and various industries celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. For some, the holidays are just that – a break from work or school. But King’s family and others who carry on his legacy of equality, justice and nonviolent protest want Americans to remember that this holiday is truly about helping others.

Although it is now a time-honored tradition, the holiday’s adoption was a long and difficult road to acceptance.

The idea of ​​establishing a national holiday for the civil rights icon came as the nation was plunged into mourning. Democratic U.S. Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation recognizing King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968 before .

It was clear to the supporters that it would not be easy. King, then 39, was already a polarizing figure for half the country before his death, said Lerone Martin, director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University. Polls by the Washington Post and New York Times found that most Americans did not trust King or thought he was too radical because of his speeches on poverty, housing and against the Vietnam War.

“People say that after 1965, King moved too quickly and basically, ‘Hey, you got the Voting Rights Act done.’ “That’s enough,” said Martin.

The Congressional Black Caucus, founded by Conyers, attempted to bring legislation to a vote for the next 15 years. Republican counterarguments include: Holidays don’t apply to private citizens, King was a communist, or King was a womanizer. Meanwhile, his widow, Coretta Scott King, continued to advocate. Musician Stevie Wonder even released a song, “Happy Birthday,” to rally support.

So what has changed?

In the 1980s, the social and cultural climate in the United States was changing and the public was thinking about racial progress, Martin said. Most Americans now also regretted the Vietnam War. Advocates, meanwhile, were still calling for federal holiday status.

In 1983, about 20 years after King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, Congress passed legislation for a Martin Luther King Jr. Day on the third Monday in January, and President Ronald Reagan signed it.

Reagan’s signing did not lead other Republicans to follow suit. It would take another 17 years for all 50 states to comply. Most of the foot traffickers came from the south – with the exception of Arizona. Then, in 1987, Gov. Evan Mecham repealed his predecessor’s executive order establishing a state holiday in Arizona.

“He said, ‘Black people don’t need a vacation.’ “You all need jobs,” remembers Dr. Warren H. Stewart Sr., senior pastor of First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix. “That started the war.”

Stewart formed a group to lead “people of all colors and of all beliefs, creeds and parties” in protest marches. Entertainers, including Wonder, canceled events in Arizona. Companies have postponed conferences. The turning point was the loss of hosting the Super Bowl. In 1992, Arizona became the first state where a voter initiative reinstated the King holiday.

Fans celebrated a victory lap the next MLK Day with a packed arena concert that included Wonder and other artists. Even Rosa Parks was there. Stewart remembers speaking to the crowd.

“What I said there – and it still applies today – we won the holiday, but the holiday is a symbol of freedom and justice for all and we must move from symbol to substance,” he said.

South Carolina was the last outlier until 2000. But there was no support from civil rights groups because there was also a Confederate Memorial Day there.

The reach of Martin Luther King Jr. Day has only grown in its 42 years.

It is the only federal holiday where people take “a day off and not a day off.” In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed Congressman John Lewis and Senator Harris Wofford’s legislation making it a National Day of Service.

Almost every major city and suburb hosts a lively celebration the weekend before, including parades, street parties and concerts. The various aid projects cover the entire spectrum – community clean-up work, packing food boxes, blood donations.

AmeriCorps, the federal agency that sends volunteers to support communities across the country, has distributed $1.5 million in grants to 200 nonprofits, faith groups and other organizations for projects. CEO Michael Smith estimates there have been hundreds of projects involving hundreds of thousands of people for MLK Day over the past few years. Engagement appears to be increasing.

“You know, every day I see another project that has nothing to do with us,” said Smith, who served in President Joe Biden’s administration. “What’s so important about King’s Day is not just the service that will take place, but the way it encourages people to think about how they might serve throughout the year.”

King’s daughter, Rev. Bernice King and CEO of the King Center in Atlanta, also wants this. She wishes people would do more than just “quote King, which is what we like to do.” They need to do good work and make a daily commitment to “embrace the spirit of nonviolence.”

Martin also believes it is important to learn more about the man himself. It’s exciting for him to see how people read or hear about the Nobel Peace Prize winner. But there’s nothing quite like looking at King’s own writings, such as his 1963 “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” he added.

“We can arm ourselves with his ideals,” Martin said. “We can continue to have a conversation with him — not just one day, but actually all year long.”