Martin Luther King Jr. Legacy
King received over fifty honorary degrees and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize recipient in 1964 for his peaceful fight against racial prejudice. He earned various awards, including the American Liberties Medallion, Spingarn Medal, and Margaret Sanger Award. In 1966, he joined the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and, in 1967, became the first African-American to receive an honorary degree from Newcastle University. Posthumously, King won a Grammy Award in 1971 and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977. In 2004, he and his wife were honored with the Congressional Gold Medal.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day | History, Early Life, & Quotes
Martin Luther King Jr Day is an annual federal holiday in the United States, celebrated on the third Monday of January to honor the civil rights leader. It coincides with his birthday on January 15, this year falling on January 16. President Reagan established the holiday in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986, becoming a nationwide holiday in 2000. Only three people in the US have holidays dedicated to them: Christopher Columbus, George Washington, and Martin Luther King Jr. On this day, banks, stock markets, and public schools are closed.