Martin Luther King Jr Day
Culture/religion: National observance
Date: January 18
The third Monday of each January is dedicated to commemorating the achievements of Martin Luther King, Jr. King advocated the use of nonviolent means to end racial segregation, first coming to national prominence during the bus boycott of African Americans in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955. In 1963, King led the March on Washington and was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. King is considered the most influential African American civil rights leaders of the 1960s. King was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1964.
Sources:
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Encyclopedia Britannica