Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Wayland

Monday, Jan. 21 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

For some, the national holiday honoring the prominent civil rights activist is a time to give back and serve the community, be it through removing graffiti or picking up litter in a local park.

For others, it’s an opportunity to educate themselves about King and his life's work. And for others, it’s a time to just kick back and enjoy the prolonged weekend.

In Wayland, the Wayland Public Schools' METCO program will hold its 25th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration on Friday, Jan. 25. 

The theme this year is "50 Years Later the Dream Still Marches On." Guests will enjoy a dinner, a silent auction, a program and children's crafts. METCO Director Mabel Reid-Wallace told Patch in 2010 that the event is held in memory of King.

"I think it’s an important time for us to take a pause to remember what he has contributed to this country," Reid-Wallace said.

What did Martin Luther King Jr. contribute to this country? What are you doing to commemorate King’s legacy? Tell us in the comments!

The Holiday's History

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 Conyers, along with Rep. Shirley Chisholm (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.

TELL US: What does MLK Day mean to you? Tell us in the comments.