Curious Iowa: How did MLK Day become MLK Day of Service?

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service, the only federal holiday that is designated as an official day of service. But how did it become a day of service? And what does that mean?

Curious Iowa is a series from The Gazette that answers readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture. One curious Iowan wondered about the origins of MLK Day. We looked back on King’s visits to Iowa and spoke with Iowans about what the day means and how Iowans are marking it this year.

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights movement leader, human rights advocate and Nobel Peace Prize recipient. In the 1950s and 1960s, he led a non-violent movement for equal rights for Black Americans.

King is best known for his “I Have a Dream” speech, which he gave at the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963. In the speech, King said that despite slaves being freed by the Emancipation Proclamation, “One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.” King dreamed of a day when people would be treated equally, regardless of the color of their skin.

But while King is often remembered for that speech, LaNisha Cassell, executive director of the African American Museum of Iowa in Cedar Rapids, said “so many neglect to recall his disappointment in the leadership of our nation with regard to justice and equality for ALL people. I think more of us need to become familiar with his Letter from Birmingham Jail, which in many ways, reads like a current piece.”

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On April 12, 1963, King was arrested for his participation in a series of coordinated sit-ins and marches in segregated Birmingham, Alabama. While in jail, King acquired a copy of a newspaper that had printed “A Call for Unity” written by eight white clergymen in response to the demonstrations. The authors urged protesters to stop demonstrations and instead rely on the justice system.

In the margins of that newspaper, King began to write his response. King wrote that Black American have waited more than 340 years for their constitutional and God-given rights. In the letter, King wrote that they must demand immediate change, “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

Between 1959 to 1968, King visited many Iowa colleges and universities including Grinnell College, Cornell College, Coe College, University of Iowa and Iowa State University. In these visits, he spoke about race relations and taking non-violent action in the struggle for freedom and justice.

On Oct. 16, 1962, King spoke to a crowd of about 1,200 people at Coe College in Cedar Rapids. King’s speech promoted brotherhood and called for the end of segregation. Though he is often remembered for his work in the civil rights movement, King advocated for justice and unity for all people.

“We must live together as a brotherhood or perish together as fools. No nation can live alone as no individual can live alone.” King said. “But how can one avoid being depressed when we see millions go to bed hungry each night and millions sleeping on sidewalks? We spend millions building military bases when we could spend millions more to end world hunger and promote brotherhood.”

On April 4, 1968, King, 39, was assassinated while standing on a hotel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee. He was in Memphis to support Black sanitation workers striking for better pay.

How did MLK Day become a federal holiday?

On April 8, 1968, Michigan Rep. John Conyers introduced MLK Day to Congress. Conyers, with New York Rep. Shirley Chisholm, introduced the bill into every session of Congress until it was signed into law in 1983.

MLK day is held on the third Monday of January, rather than King’s actual birth date. This year the holiday happens to fall on King’s birthday — Jan. 15.

In 1994, the King Holiday and Service Act was made law by President Bill Clinton. The law designated the holiday as a day of service. King’s widow, Coretta Scott King said, “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others.”

MLK Day of Service in Iowa

Illinois, in 1973, was the first state to recognize MLK Day. Iowa observed its first state MLK holiday in 1989. By 2000, all 50 states recognized MLK Day as a state holiday.

This year, communities across Iowa are celebrating the holiday in different ways. In Cedar Rapids, the African American Museum of Iowa is hosting a presentation and activities at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 6621 C Ave. NE, at 2 p.m.

“I hope Iowans take away that community service is a wonderful way to engage and get to know one another and better understand the needs that exist, particularly as it relates to the variety of resources available in our communities that address basic needs,” Cassell, the museum’s executive director, said. “It is equally as important to understand and commit to actions that demand a just society for ALL people and in all facets of the systems in which we live, including education, government, finance, housing, and criminal justice.”

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service celebrations around Eastern Iowa

In Iowa City, the MLK Day of Service event is part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration of Human Rights Week, which is a collaboration between the City, the Black Voices Project, University of Iowa and various nonprofits.

The theme for this year’s celebration is literary outreach and book access. Malory Smysor, Iowa City Parks and Recreation Program Supervisor for Adaptive and Inclusive Recreation and Outreach, said she chose the theme based on recent state legislation that restricts the books available in school libraries.

“A lot of those book bans are based off of race-related information,” Smysor said. “So, you know, making sure that there’s access to information, access to the histories that maybe aren’t always focused on that can help spark and generate change for future generations is really important.”

The event kicks off Monday with a Peace March held by the Black Voices Project at 9:30 a.m. at United Action for Youth, 1700 S. First Ave. No. 14. The march will end at Mercer Park Aquatic Center, 2701 Bradford Drive, where programming will continue.

This year’s service project is making and decorating eight little free libraries. A book drive is being held to furnish the libraries. Smysor said they appreciate donations of multi-language books. The little free libraries will need homes. Interested parties can contact airoutreach@iowa-city.org.

“They’ll just have to basically install them and then take care of them and make sure they provide books,” Smysor said.

Iowa City Public Library also will hold MLK Day Family Storytime at 10:30 a.m. at the library, 123 S Linn St.

“The kids that are attending our programs in the library are very little but they’re never too young to learn and to get those beginning concepts,” Angie Pilkington, children’s programming coordinator, said, “So I hope it’s a great conversation starter for parents to have with their kids, not just on that day but every day and to really honor Dr. King’s legacy.”

Throughout the month of January, Iowa City Public Library will host the Dr. King Series for Youth on Fridays at 5 p.m. at United Action for Youth Swaim Center, 355 Iowa Ave.

Adult programming coordinator Jason Paulios said participants will read through and discuss poetry, short essays and art. The discussions will incorporate advocacy, which was central to King’s work.

Paulios said he hopes participants come away with a better understanding of their neighbors.

“And then to have concrete action steps that you can take in your community, just little ways that you make differences in peoples’ lives but also to feel more empowered in that way. That’s something that’s big for the teen generation right now, ” Paulios said. He referenced the walk out held last Monday in response to the school shooting in Perry earlier this month. “There’s a lot of advocacy happening at a school-age level … and so this is just another way to help them find ways to do that.”

Have a question for Curious Iowa?

Curious Iowa is a series from The Gazette dedicated to answering readers’ questions about our state, its people and the culture. Tell us what you’d like us to investigate next.

Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com