Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is an official holiday which has been celebrated on the third Monday of January since 1986.  It is the first new holiday since 1948, when Memorial Day was created as a "prayer for peace" day.  It is only the third this century, the other is Veterans Day, created as Armistice Day in 1926 to honor those who died in World War I.  Dr. King is the only American besides George Washington to have a national holiday designated for his birthday (those of Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Robert E. Lee and others have been celebrated in some states but not nationwide.   Internationally, King is one of the few social leaders of any country to be honored with a holiday (Mahatma Gandhi's birthday is observed in India).  such status by a member of a country's racial minority is almost unheard of.  Generally, the honor is reserved for military or religious figures.  Consequently, this holiday is a powerful tribute to King's philosophy and stature.

When President Reagan signed legislation creating the holiday in November  of 1983, it marked the end of a persistent, highly organized lobbying effort spanning the nation for 15 years.

"We worked hard to put together a national effort and make a powerful network,"  recalls Cedric Hendricks, legislative aide to Rep. John Conyers, Michigan Democrat.  It was Conyers who, four days after King was assassinated in Memphis, submitted the first legislation to commemorate his birthday.  Petitions carrying more than 6 million signatures -- said to be the largest petition drive in history -- were submitted to Congress in 1970.  With help from New York Democratic Representative Shirley Chisholm, Conyers resubmitted the legislation during each congressional session. 

The Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which coordinated the petition campaign, also kept continuous pressure on Congress for the holiday.  Mass marches in 1982 for voting rights and 1983 to mark the 20th anniversary of King's dramatic speech in Washington, D.C., also contributed.

In the final analysis, what may have sealed approval of the holiday was a compromise offered by Representative Katie Hall, Indiana Democrat who marshaled support in the House for the legislation.  Hall, responding to criticism that the holiday would be too close to the Christmas-New Year's week, moved the observance to the third Monday of the month.  The notion of a three-day weekend, plus the fact that the third Monday often follows Super Bowl Sunday, helped put the measure over the top.

"As is usually the case with great figures, particularly controversial ones who are fighting for a philosophy condemned by many, Dr. King was well ahead of his time." says Joseph Lowery, King's contemporary counterpart as president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Atlanta.  "Even those very much opposed to him during his lifetime have come to see that segregation, injustice and militarism are concerns which must be addressed by modern society."

Not specifically patriotic or religious, the King holiday does not fit any traditional category.  But black leaders hope will become a deeply spiritual day.