MLK Day: A People's Holiday

Date: January 13, 2015
Contact: Enimini Ekong, [phone]

Little Rock Central High School NHS presents

MLK DAY: A People's Holiday

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site will host a screening of King: A Filmed Record... Montgomery To Memphis, a 1970 American documentary film biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his non-violent campaign for civil rights and social justice, on Monday, January 19th at 10:30 a.m.(Note: the film is 181 minutes in length and will be shown from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. followed by a repeat screening from 1:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.).

Prior to the screening, the site will present a "Ranger Storytime" reading of My Daddy, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at 10:00 a.m.This illustrated book by Martin Luther King III is insightful for all ages and provides a look at the special bond between parents and their children. Both events are free, open to the public and will be held at the historic site visitor center at the below address.

"This is not a black holiday;it is a people's holiday," said Coretta Scott King after President Ronald Reagan signed the King Holiday Bill into law on November 2, 1983. As a result of this bill, every year federal facilities, schools, and banks across the country observe the third Monday in January as a holiday in memory of the life and works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It took 15 years, millions upon millions of signatures, and the committed efforts of many dedicated people to turn King's birthday into a national holiday.

Along the way, those who sought a formal national observance of Dr. King's contribution to American life were told that what they sought was unprecedented, impossible, too costly, or too radical. In hindsight, this chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement by his preaching, his example, and his leadership has only helped to move us - as a nation - closer to the ideals on which America was founded.

For more information about the programs, please call the Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site at [phone].

Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site is located at 2120 Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive, diagonally across the street from Central High School. The visitor center is open from 9:00 a.m. –4:30 p.m., seven days a week;admission to the site is free. For more information, call [phone] or e-mail us.