What Does Martin Luther King Jr. Day Mean to You?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the national holiday honoring the prominent civil rights activist, is an opportunity to educate ourselves about King and his life's work.

For some, it is a time to the community, be it through removing graffiti or picking up litter in a local park.

For others, it’s just a time to kick back and enjoy the prolonged weekend.

So tell us -- What does Martin Luther King Jr. Day mean to you? What are you doing to commemorate King’s legacy? Martin Luther King Jr., Day, now a U.S. holiday, took 15 years to create.

Legislation was first proposed by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan) four days after King was assassinated in 1968. 

The bill was stalled, but Coyers, along with Rep. Shirley Crisholm (D-New York), pushed for the holiday every legislative session until it was finally passed in 1983, following civil rights marches in Washington.

Then-president Ronald Reagan signed it into law. Yet it was not until 2000 that every U.S. state celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day by its name. Before then, states like Utah referred to the holiday more broadly as Human Rights Day.

Now, the corporation for National and Community Service has declared it an official U.S. Day of Service.

What does MLK Jr. Day mean to you?