Today is Martin Luther King Day thanks in no small part to John Conyers.
King was assassinated in 1968.
Following his death, U-s Congressman John Conyers Junior of Detroit and Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts introduced a bill to make King’s birthday a national holiday.
But it wasn’t until 1993 that the holiday was signed into law by then-President Ronald Reagan.
It was first celebrated three years later.
Still some states resisted observing the holiday.
It wasn’t until 2000 that it was officially observed for the first time in all 50 states.
King was born on January 15th, but the holiday is now celebrated on the third Monday in January.
