Black History: Special Delivery!!
It took 15 years of advocating before the King holiday was signed into law. The late Congressman John Conyers of Michigan first introduced a bill for a federal holiday in 1968 just 4 days after King’s assassination. Each year for 15 years, Conyers with the support of the Congressional Black Caucus continued to advocate for the holiday. Finally, in 1983, the King holiday was approved. It would take until the year 2000 for all 50 states to adopt the holiday.
Sources:
https://www.ajc.com/news/state–regional-govt–politics/john-conyers-and-the-uphill-battle-honor-mlk-birthday/Dx8jhl0KJANrvMAZ9ApUCO/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/john-conyers-who-first-proposed-an-mlk-holiday-marks-50-years-in-congress/2015/01/18/998d4ba2-9d08-11e4-bcfb-059ec7a93ddc_story.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/john-conyers-death-american-politician-congress-detroit-martin-luther-king-holiday-a9185526.html
