Martin Luther King Jr. Day was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan and first officially observed as a federal holiday Jan. 17, 1986. It commemorates a civil rights leader who advocated peaceful resistance as a means of achieving equality under the law between all races. He gave his life for the cause when struck by an assassin s bullet at the Lorraine Motel (now the National Civil Rights Museum) in 1968 at Memphis, Tennessee.
It isn t the same : Cities host muted MLK Day celebrations after year of loss for many Black Americans Marc Ramirez, USA TODAY
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This year, the campus of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, will be eerily empty on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Gone will be the children and families enjoying the day’s activities – as many as 12,000 visitors on a good-weather day – and the crowds donating food or giving blood.
“With the pandemic, it’s hard to do that,” said Faith Morris, chief marketing and external affairs officer for the museum, which is marking the holiday online. “We will try to give those feelings virtually, but it’s not lost on us that it does in some form take away from the sentiment of the movement.”
This year, the campus of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, will be eerily empty on Martin Luther King Jr. Day: Gone will be the children and families enjoying the day’s activities – as many as 12,000 visitors on a good-weather day – and the crowds donating food or giving blood.
“With the pandemic, it’s hard to do that,” said Faith Morris, chief marketing and external affairs officer for the museum, which is marking the holiday online. “We will try to give those feelings virtually, but it’s not lost on us that it does in some form take away from the sentiment of the movement.”
There’s more to learn about Martin Luther King Jr., a towering figure in American history and an icon of social justice. As the nation celebrates his birthday, a national holiday
MLK Days of Service
There are many opportunities to participate in virtual and in-person projects Jan. 14-18, 2021, all thanks to Volunteer Memphis
Credit: Volunteer Memphis Published: 7:41 PM CST January 14, 2021 Updated: 7:41 PM CST January 14, 2021
MEMPHIS, Tennessee Click here for information about MLK Days of Service, January 14-18, 2021.
NEWS RELEASE FROM VOLUNTEER MEMPHIS:
Volunteer Memphis’ 5th Annual MLK Days of Service
Volunteers and projects needed January 14-18 to serve communities across the Mid-South
MEMPHIS, Tenn., January 7, 2021 – Volunteer Memphis is calling for in-person and virtual volunteers to register for its fifth annual Martin Luther King Jr. Days of Service January 14 to 18. Anyone interested can sign-up online using the Volunteer Memphis website at volunteermemphis.org.