MLK DAY 2024: MONDAY, JANUARY 15

January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968

Baptist minister, Civil Rights Movement leader, activist, and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, Martin Luther King, Jr. is known worldwide as a champion of freedom, justice, equality and peace. 

Dr. King once said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is: 'What are you doing for others?'"

Each year, Americans across the country answer that question by coming together on the King Holiday to serve their neighbors and communities. The MLK Day of Service is a part of United We Serve, the President's national call to service initiative. It calls for Americans from all walks of life to work together to provide solutions to our most pressing national problems.

Signed into law in January 1983 by President Ronald Reagan, the national Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday is a celebration of Dr. King’s immeasurable contribution to the United States, and to humanity.

To learn more about the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. check out the many titles offered at the Westport Library for both adults and children including:

• Martin's Big Words by Doreen Rappaport (picture book that is suitable for all ages) 

• Who was Martin Luther King Jr? by Bonnie Bader (children's chapter book recommended for grades 3-7) 

• King : A Life by Jonathan Eig (adult)