“Well this country is a hypocrite. They try and make you think they set you free by calling you a second class citizen. No, you’re nothing but a 20th century slave”
Malcolm X, The Ballot or the Bullet, 1964
Once again, it is Martin Luther King Day, first observed as a US federal holiday in some states in 1986. In 1979, the first attempt to sign the day into law failed. In 1983 a mass public campaign, soundtracked by Stevie Wonder’s “Happy Birthday” anthem, persuaded policymakers to change their minds, and the third Monday in January (near his Jan 15 birthday) was legislated as a federal holiday. Both Arizona’s governor and the electorate rejected the notion of a paid holiday in King’s honor, leading to a campaign led by Corretta Scott King to boycott the state. Phoenix, the capital city of Arizona, lost its chance to host the 1993 Superbowl due to the controversy surrounding the state’s refusal. After losing an anticipated $200 million in income, voters learned their lesson and 1992 enshrined the holiday into law. In 2000, South Carolina was the last state to recognize the day as a paid holiday making MLD Day an official nationwide holiday.
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