In April 1968, just four days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., Conyers introduced the first of many bills to establish a federal holiday in King’s honour. A bill creating the holiday was finally signed into law by Pres. Ronald Reagan in 1983.

Four days after Dr. King was assassinated, U.S. Representative John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), a Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) member, introduced legislation calling for the designation of a national holiday in observance of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Rep. Conyers, with help from Rep. Shirley A. Chisholm (D-NY), a fellow CBC ...

Jan 20, 2025 · Detroiters like Stevie Wonder and John Conyers were instrumental in making Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a federal holiday.

Jan 18, 2015 · Four days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., a junior member of Congress introduced a bill to establish a federal holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader. Five...

Jan 20, 2025 · U.S. Democratic Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, one of the longest-serving members of Congress known for his liberal stance on civil rights, proposed legislation to recognize King four days after his assassination outside a motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day ... After King's death, Representative John Conyers [3] (a Democrat from Michigan) and Senator Edward Brooke (a Republican from Massachusetts) introduced a bill in Congress to make King's birthday a national/official holiday. The bill first came to a vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in 1979.

Jan 10, 2018 · John Conyers, then a Democratic Congressman from Michigan, took to the floor of Congress to insist on a federal holiday in King’s honor. However, the request fell on deaf ears. One of the few...

Jan 20, 2025 · King was a charismatic, eloquent, and highly visible leader of the non-violent civil rights movement in America. He had won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. Almost immediately, there were calls for ways to memorialize King and preserve his legacy. On April 8, 1968 John Conyers (D MI-1) introduced HR 16510, to make King’s birthday a “legal ...

Jan 13, 2025 · Next Monday marks Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the federal holiday that honors the life and legacy of the American civil rights icon.. ... Former U.S. Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., introduced legislation to create a federal holiday honoring King on April 8, 1968, just four days after the civil rights leader’s assassination. ...

Testimony of Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-MI) on Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday Legislation. Date Created: 3/27/1979. Creator: ... Tags: Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Speech by Rep. John Conyers on Martin Luther King Jr. National Holiday legislation, before a joint hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee and the House Census&Population ...