Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Joliet
Tell us what this holiday means to you and how you will celebrate?
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Many, including a group in Joliet, will use the national holiday to honor the civil rights activist by giving back to the community, be it through removing graffiti, picking up litter or doing other service projects.
(It's not too late to volunteer to make a difference in Joliet on MLK Day.)
Because it's both a federal and state holiday, there will be no mail service, government buildings will be closed, and most banks will not be open. Downtown street and deck parking is free, but Joliet City Hall is closed.
However, Waste Management garbage collection will not be affected so leave your cans at the curb just as you would on a normal week.
Because many use the day as an opportunity to focus on King and his life's work, we'd like to know what Martin Luther King Day means to you? Will you be doing something to commemorate his legacy?
The Holiday's History
Martin Luther King Jr. Day, now a U.S. holiday, took 15 years to create.
Legislation was first proposed by U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Michigan) four days after King was assassinated in 1968.
The bill was stalled, but Conyers and U.S. Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-New York) pushed for the bill to be passed in every legislative session. It finally passed in 1983, following civil rights marches in Washington. President Ronald Reagan signed it into law, making it the first national holiday honoring someone who was not an elected official.
Despite the national standing, it was not until 2000 that every U.S. state celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by its name. Before then, states such as Utah referred to the holiday more broadly as Human Rights Day and Civil Rights Day.
Now, the Corporation for National and Community Service has declared it an official U.S. Day of Service.
TELL US: What does MLK Day mean to you? Tell us in the comments below.
READ MORE: 10 Things You Might Not Know about Martin Luther King
boozer mcgee
6:48 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013
The other day, I had the pleasure to talk to an older black man that was intrigued with history. He told me that the problem with black parents today is they will only tell their children that the black man were slaves, and that the white man owes them something. He teared up and told me that the black man has to "man up" to be accountable for his actions and quit blaming the white man for everything. He then asked if I had ever thanked a WW2 vet for anything. I replied "yes". He smiled said that black folks parents needed to educate their young ones years ago while the WW2 vet were still around, and thank them for the service they provided America. He said that the WW2 soldier, Black and White, made it all possible for America to defeat Germany, other wise, the black man could of been extinct today. He told me that Hitler's next move was Africa, and if Hitler and Germany would of won the war, the black man would not of existed as we know them today, and that a person today would have to go to a museum to get a look at what a black man looked like! I was shocked! He told me rather than there be 1 month dedicated to just black folks, America needs to get with the program and have a month dedicated to All Veteran's, and White Folks too. I told him that many years ago my father told me that every day should be Mother's Day, Father's Day, and VETERAN'S DAY! He replied " I hear ya"...As he was boarding the VA Shuttle bus, I grasped his hand, thanked and then saluted him.
John Roberts
7:15 pm on Sunday, January 20, 2013
Dr.MLK daughter one time was on Opera Winfrey show and told a bunch of gang members...."If it is going ito be like this I would rather have my dad back"...