It was February of 1956 when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. first became known in San Angelo, as newspaper readers all over the nation learned of this brave and outspoken pastor leading a boycott of the buses in Montgomery, Alabama.
Through his foundational actions to spur the Civil Rights Movement in the South, Dr. King gave a voice to millions of Black Americans living under Jim Crow segregation laws that trapped them as second-class citizens in a land that boasted of equality.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day marks the birth of this famed civil rights leader in Atlanta, Georgia, on January, 15, 1929, and was first proposed as an official holiday about a decade after his assassination in 1968.
Rep. John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan, Sen. Edward Brooke (R – Mass.),introduced a bill in Congress to make King’s birthday a national holiday in 1979 but the measure was narrowly defeated.
In 1981, a push by supporters led to the nation’s largest petition drive, which saw more than six-million signatures collected to persuade the Congress to honor King.
The final vote in the House of Representatives took place Aug. 2, 1983, passing 338–90, while the Senate passed the measure Oct. 19, 78–22, giving the legislation veto-proof margins in both chambers.
The holiday, set on the third Monday in January, was observed for the first time on Jan. 20, 1986.
This Year in San Angelo
The Martin Luther King Jr. Association of San Angelo will honor the memory of Dr. King during several events themed: “Celebrating the Dream — Continuing the Journey.”
A Youth Night will begin the celebrations at 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17, at Saint Paul Baptist Church, 1011 Martin Luther King Drive.
A Gospel musical will follow at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, at Word of Life Assembly of God, 5173 S. Bryant Blvd.
An ecumenical service is slated to begin at noon Monday, Jan. 19 at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, 20 E. Beauregard Ave.
