Nation celebrates Holiday honoring Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Jet, Jan 24, 2005

The 2005 King Holiday Observance on January 17th marks the 76th birthday of slain civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

It is the 19th anniversary celebration of the national King Holiday Observance.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Non-Violent Social Change Inc., based in Atlanta, is the primary promoter of the King Holiday Observance.

The King Center continues to emphasize Dr. King's legacy to humanity with the King Holiday theme, "Remember! Celebrate! Act! A Day On ... Not A Day Off."

The theme reiterates the importance of "remembering" Dr. King's work and legacy and "celebrating" his birthday as a national holiday and "acting" on his teachings, principles and methods of nonviolence as applicable to civil and human rights issues. It also serves as a reminder that the holiday is "a day on" for community service initiatives and programs promoting interracial cooperation, and not just "a day off" from work or school.

The Annual Commemorative Service, the hallmark of the King Holiday Observance, will be held January 17th at Atlanta's historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, featuring tributes to the life and legacy of Dr. King from local, national and international leaders. The service will feature Dr. Suzan Johnson Cook, author-lecturer and noted pastor of the Bronx Christian Fellowship.