Martin Luther King Day is celebrated in the USA

US President Barack Obama and Americans across the country on Monday are taking part in various community service projects to celebrate the birthday of civil rights leader Martin Luther King.

US President and First Lady Michelle Obama volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club in Washington. Other members of the presidential administration have traveled across the country to participate in actions designed to promote progress in education, the environment, the arts and the fight against poverty.

King became widely known in 1955 when he led a successful boycott of public buses in Montgomery, Alabama, forcing the city administration to abandon segregation in public transport. He became a central figure in the civil rights movement in 1950-60-s, inspiring millions of people with his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during a march in Washington in 1963.

Vice President Joe Biden on Monday spoke at a festive breakfast in honor of King and stressed the need to establish a relationship of trust between society and the police. According to him, there are no reasons that would interfere with the establishment of relations between law enforcement agencies and representatives of minorities.

Popular TV host Oprah Winfrey celebrated the holiday the day before, leading a march in Selma, Alabama, to commemorate the 1965 events of the year when police beat activists led by King to fight for full voting rights at the very spot.

“One thing I know for sure: everyone who crossed this bridge on Bloody Sunday and then found the strength to take to the streets again on Tuesday, to the last march, to every single person who went to this bridge are heroes,” said Winfrey.

King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, and then President Lyndon Johnson signed the historic civil rights law.

King was killed by 4 on April 1968 of the year in Memphis, Tennessee, where he went to help striking black scavengers who sought fair pay.

Memorial Day, named after him, was established in 1983, when President Ronald Reagan signed the law, according to which the third Monday of January was Martin Luther King Day, which was born on January 15, 1929. And in 1994, Congress proclaimed the third Monday of January as a day of public service, calling on Americans to take part in various public initiatives.

In honor of Dr. King, the cable TV channel MTV will be broadcasting a black and white image on 12 hours on Monday to encourage viewers to talk with their friends and family about racial issues. This will be the first black and white broadcast of the youth channel for all 34 year of its existence. Also on the MTV air show business representatives and authorities will talk about race issues.

Source - Voice of America