--- description: In 2017, Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Jan. 16. Here's how the first national observation of MLK Day, in 1986, was marked. title: How the First Martin Luther King Jr. Day Was Celebrated image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6650640510342ae4/6988b54b2dce010e2a9ebe5c/mlk-day-first.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [History](/section/history/) ## History Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Holidays](/tag/holidays/) ## Holidays Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # How the First Martin Luther King Jr. Day Was Celebrated by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 13, 2017 5:00 PM CUT  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking before crowd of 25,000 Selma To Montgomery, Ala., civil rights marchers, in front of Montgomery, Ala., state capital building on March 25, 1965. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. speaking before crowd of 25,000 Selma To Montgomery, Ala., civil rights marchers, in front of Montgomery, Ala., state capital building on March 25, 1965.Stephen F. Somerstein—Getty Images by [Mahita Gajanan](/author/mahita-gajanan/) ## Mahita Gajanan Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Gajanan is an editor at TIME. Jan 13, 2017 5:00 PM CUT Monday marks [Martin Luther King, Jr. Day](http://time.com/4182473/martin-luther-king-day-mlk-what-know/ "undefined"), a holiday that had a rocky path to establishment. Although King was assassinated in 1968, legislation designating the third Monday in January—near his Jan. 15 birthday—as a legal holiday to honor him [did not pass until 1983](http://time.com/4182473/martin-luther-king-day-mlk-what-know/ "undefined"). The first year the U.S. observed the holiday was 1986, when the day fell on Jan. 20. That Monday, people across the country held marches and church services to celebrate King’s legacy, as shown by this 1986 [ABC News report](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgwrKnPK1Hs "undefined"). In California, a freedom train ran from San Jose to San Francisco to honor King, while thousands marched in Birmingham, Ala. [_Step Into History: Learn how to experience the 1963 March on Washington in virtual reality_](http://www.time.com/the-march "undefined") As [TIME reported](http://time.com/vault/issue/1986-01-27/page/24/ "undefined") in January of 1986, the candlelight vigils, concerts, readings, teach-ins and religious services held throughout the country served as “occasions to recall one of the most painful and dramatic eras of American history.” “There is a heightened awareness of him that was not present before the holiday,” King’s widow, Coretta Scott King, told TIME. King’s [hometown](http://ti.me/2iccR2p "undefined") of Atlanta, Ga., was the stage for big celebrations—visitors from all corners of the U.S. traveled to march in a parade along with civil rights leaders and King’s family. George H.W. Bush, vice president at the time, joined Coretta Scott King to place a wreath on King’s tomb and for a ceremony at [Ebenezer Baptist Church](https://www.nps.gov/malu/planyourvisit/ebenezer%5Fbaptist%5Fchurch.htm "undefined"), where King served as co-pastor until his death. During the ceremony, Coretta Scott King awarded [Desmond Tutu](http://time.com/4504000/book-of-joy/ "undefined") with the King Peace Prize for his work against Apartheid. [_Get your history fix in one place: sign up for the weekly TIME History newsletter_](http://time.com/newsletter "undefined") But not every part of that day in 1986 was a celebration of King’s legacy: as the [ABC report](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgwrKnPK1Hs "undefined") noted, some places were openly hostile to the holiday. In Buffalo, N.Y., a sculpture of King was whitewashed. And the road to a national commemoration of Martin Luther King Jr. was not yet complete: At the time the federal bill took effect, not every state observed the holiday. For example, House Republicans from Arizona, including Sen. John McCain, had [voted against the bill](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872501,00.html "undefined") in 1983, and the state only voted in favor of recognizing the holiday in 1992\. In 2000, South Carolina [became the last state](http://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872501,00.html "undefined") to sign a bill recognizing MLK Day as a paid holiday. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4632373/mlk-first-holiday-celebration/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4632373/mlk-first-holiday-celebration/"},"headline":"How the First Martin Luther King Jr. Day Was Celebrated","datePublished":"2017-01-13T17:00:23.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T02:41:01.369Z","description":"The first national MLK Day was observed in 1986","url":"https://time.com/4632373/mlk-first-holiday-celebration/","keywords":["Holidays","The March topic"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6650640510342ae4/6988b54b2dce010e2a9ebe5c/mlk-day-first.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Mahita Gajanan","jobTitle":"Gajanan is an editor at TIME.","url":"https://time.com/author/mahita-gajanan/"}],"articleSection":"History","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt6650640510342ae4/6988b54b2dce010e2a9ebe5c/mlk-day-first.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Selma to Montgomery Alabama March","caption":"Selma to Montgomery Alabama March","creditText":"Stephen F. 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