MLK Day 2020: What's Open, Closed In Quincy

QUINCY, MA — Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 20 this year, and a variety of services will be closed in Reading. King's birthday is Jan. 15, but the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader is observed on the third Monday of January each year.

Here's a breakdown of how the holiday could impact your routine.

• Town Offices: Closed, but regular operations resume on Tuesday
• Schools: Closed
• Library: All branches closed on Sunday and Monday
• Post Offices: Closed
• State Courts: Closed
• Transportation: Subway and bus will run on a Saturday schedule. MBTA commuter rail will run on a weekday schedule.
• Trash/recycling: Monday pickup will be delayed one day

The history of the MLK holiday in America is a complicated one.

Almost immediately after King's assassination in 1968, activists began pushing for a holiday celebrating his Jan. 15 birthday. However, the official national holiday wasn't signed into law until 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.

The first federal MLK Day was observed on the third Monday of January in 1986, but many states held out. Arizona didn't recognize the day until 1992, when the state lost its rights to host the Super Bowl after voters in Arizona failed to make the day a paid holiday.

The last state to adopt the holiday? New Hampshire, in 1999.