OFFUTT AIR FORCE BASE, Neb. -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a U.S. federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, around the time of King’s birthday, Jan. 15.
This year, the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service will be recognized on Jan. 17, 2022.
The national recurring theme of this holiday is “Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On ... Not A Day Off.” It calls upon the American people to engage in public service and promote peaceful social change. Dr. King’s unfinished movement toward equality can be achieved by our united, enduring efforts.
The words and actions of this iconic civil rights leader changed a nation and resonate to this day with inclusiveness, equality and acts of service. “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character,” King said.
King's legacy has inspired activists fighting injustice anywhere in the world. Our nation strives to keep his dream alive for future generations. He once said, “There is nothing greater in all the world than freedom.”
King, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, was born in Atlanta on Jan. 15, 1929. He was assassinated April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee.