Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “The time is always right to do what is right.”
I believe that King was someone who lived by his words and strived to do the right thing at every opportunity. With MLK Day coming up tomorrow, I wanted to share some history about the holiday, as a way to honor his memory.
As some of our younger readers may not be aware, MLK Day has not been nationally recognized as long as one might think. Shortly following King’s tragic assassination in 1968, Democrat Rep. John Conyer and Republican Sen. Edward Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday. The first bill came to a vote in the United States House of Representatives in 1979, falling five votes short of the number needed to pass. The two main arguments mentioned by opponents being that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor the birth of a private citizen who had never held public office w
âEach year on the third Monday of January we observe Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This Jan. 18, make the holiday more than just a day off and take time to reflect and take action on civil rights issues across the globe.
History of Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
âThe concept of Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday was promoted by labor unions. After Kingâs death, U.S. Rep. John Conyers and U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke introduced a bill in Congress to make Kingâs birthday a national holiday.
âThe bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979; however, it fell five votes short of the number needed for passage. Two of the main arguments mentioned by opponents were that a paid holiday for federal employees would be too expensive and that a holiday to honor a private citizen would be contrary to longstanding tradition, as King never held public office.
Edward Brooke-Hitching in conversation with John Lloyd
This is an online event. Bookers will be sent a link in advance giving access and will be able to watch at any time for 48 hours after the start time
Edward Brooke-Hitching talks to TV producer and writer John Lloyd (
Blackadder, QI and much more) about his new book
The Madman’s Library, a journey that takes us into the darkest territories of literature, to hunt down the very strangest books ever written and uncover the fascinating stories behind their creation.
From a gorgeously decorated 15th-century lawsuit filed by the Devil against Jesus to a 605-page Qur an written in the blood of Saddam Hussein, to the lost art of binding books with human skin, every strand of strangeness imaginable (and many inconceivable) has been unearthed. Books that hoaxed the globe and books invisible to the naked eye, books of code and cypher whose secrets remain undiscovered… and others that are just plain weird. Several have been uncover
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The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. preached a gospel inspired by the teachings of the abolitionist pastor Theodore Parker, who observed in an 1853 sermon: “Look at the facts of the world. You see a continual and progressive triumph of the right. I do not pretend to understand the moral universe; the arc is a long one, my eye reaches but little ways; I cannot calculate the curve and complete the figure by the experience of sight; I can divine it by conscience. And from what I see I am sure it bends towards justice.”
END OF YEAR REVIEW: The best books from 2020
| Updated: 12:55, 07 January 2021
Stratford Literary Festival (SLF) folk and other local reading enthusiasts share their favourite reads from
Gill Sutherland (43827353)
Wine Girl by Victoria James made very interesting if dangerous reading.
Subtitled âA sommelierâs tale of making it in the toxic world of fine diningâ, James gives amazing insight into what goes on behind the scenes in fancy restaurants.
Her love of wine is contagious and made me really appreciate the treat of a good bottle with all the homemade food being prepared during the spring lockdown.
It should come with a warning though â it does make you into a bit of a wine-guzzling bore!