Martin Luther King Celebration at First Church Today

Middletown's Martin Luther King Day Celebration

The Martin Luther King, Jr., Scholarship Committee of Greater Middletown hosts its 18th annual Martin Luther King, Jr., Birthday Celebration today. Remarks begin at noon at the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way and Main Street, followed by a celebration service at First Church of Christ, Congregational (UCC), 190 Court St., Middletown.

Contributions to the scholarship fund are appreciated and may be mailed to: MLK Jr. Scholarship Committee, P.O. Box 282, Middletown 06457.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a United States federal holiday marking the birthday of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year, which is around the time of King's birthday, January 15.

King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination in 1968. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed on January 20, 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.*

*Excerpted in part from Wikipedia.