Martin Luther King Day honors it’s a day of service in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Junior, who was assassinated on April 4, 1968 for his work to end racism and bring equality to all Americans.
In 1965, King received an honorary Doctorate of Law from Jersey City’s St. Peter’s College. On September 21, 1965, following his degree, King delivered a speech titled “The American Dream.”
- Across North Jersey, various events will be held on Jan. 19 and beyond to celebrate the legacy of the legendary civil rights leader, Martin Luther King, Jr.
- King came to Montclair in September 1966, to Paterson in March 1968, to Jersey City in September 1965 and March 1968, and to Newark in March 1968.
- He lived in Camden as a seminary student (1948-1951), where he encountered Northern racism that shaped his non-violent approach, notably after being denied service at a Maple Shade cafe; he also delivered key speeches in Jersey City (1965) and Paterson (1968), receiving an honorary degree from St. Peter’s College, and New Jersey now has a state commission to commemorate his legacy and promote his ideals through programs and grants.
- Less than a week after his 1968 Jersey City speech, King was murdered at a motel in Memphis, Tennessee.
In Kearny, “Justice and Hope: Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Through Action,” a discussion hosted jointly by the New Jersey Reentry Corporation — which supports returning citizens, veterans, and survivors of domestic violence — and The Links Inc., a nonprofit founded by Black women in 1946 to advance the cultural and economic well‑being of people of African ancestry.
Martin Luther King Jr. was a brilliant student who skipped grades, started college at 15, and was born Michael King Jr., later changing his name; he was inspired by Gandhi’s nonviolence, survived an assassination attempt in 1958, and became the youngest Nobel Peace Prize winner in 1964, leading major civil rights events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott before his assassination in 1968.
Billie Eilish, Viola Davis, Cathy Hughes, 2Chainz, Clifford ‘TI’ Harris, Robert Smith, Aldis Hodge, Anika Noni Rose, Jamal Roberts, John Hope Bryant, and Rev. A.R Bernard, Sr. were expected to join The King Center for the 41st Annual King Holiday Observance Week.
MLK’s Legacy In New Jersey
NJ MLK Jr. Commission: Established to foster his ideals, the commission supports events and provides grants for community organizations.
Commemorative Art: New Jersey owns a casting of the “Behold” sculpture, permanently installed at Essex County College in Newark.
MLK Day: New Jersey observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day with service projects, events, and closures, honoring his enduring impact on the state and nation.
Statue: In 2000, the Jackson Hill section of Jersey City erected a statue in MLK’s honor. There are an estimated 10 MLK statues in the Garden State.
Local Events to Celebrate MLK
◩ The Boys & Girls Club of Lower Bergen County will be hosting a Day of Service on Jan. 19 at its Lodi Clubhouse, 460 Passaic Ave., from 1 to 5 p.m. From 1 to 3 p.m., resource tables (college fair style) will provide information about programs, organizations, and agencies that provide free/ low-cost services to families and the community. From 3 to 5 p.m., community volunteering: participants will assist with packaging items for people in need.
◩ “Visions of Freedom”: MLK Day Symposium 2026 from 8:30 am – 12:30 pm at Bethany Hall, Room A, Seton Hall University (South Orange campus), organized by Seton Hall University. The event examines the USA’s 250th birthday through analyses by Martin Luther King Jr. and the fields & disciplines of Africana studies, history, and social justice studies, presented by Faculty & student scholars at Seton Hall. Social Media: Website, email
◩ MLK Jr: 1968 Through 2026 – Oral Histories from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. at the Tenafly Public Library, 100 Riveredge Rd, Tenafly, NJ. The Organizer is Eloquence Academy, Inc. The event is an oral history project and a roundtable discussion on civil rights.
◩ Eloquence Academy MLK Day Community Roundtable Discussion • Time: 12:00 pm – 3 p.m. at 399-417 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ • Organizer: Congregational Baptist Church * • Description: Community engagement & unity program with resource handouts ending with fellowship in sharing Dr. King’s favorite meal.
◩ Dr. King’s Dreams for “We the People” at 6:30 p.m. – 9:30 p.m. •at Temple Emeth, 1666 Windsor Road, Teaneck, NJ 07666. Organized by the Martin Luther King Jr Birthday Committee of Bergen County. Description: Program about Dr. King and the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence featuring music, poetry, and presentation of awards & scholarships.
◩ The Newark Museum of Art, in conjunction with University Hospital, presents “Community Day: Stronger Together” to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. on Jan. 19 at the museum, 49 Washington St., from noon to 5 p.m. There will be performances by various artists.
Partners
Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park, Ebenezer Baptist Church, AmeriCorps, Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, State of Georgia Martin Luther King, Jr. Advisory Council, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine, Hands on Atlanta, Georgia Coalition for the People’s Agenda, the Martin Luther King, Jr. March Committee, Tru Foundation, House of Cheatham
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (MLK Day) is a U.S. federal holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the chief spokesperson for nonviolent activism during the American Civil Rights Movement.
In 1983, President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King for his commitment to equal rights and justice for all. Observed for the first time on Jan. 20, 1986, it’s called Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
It is held annually on the third Monday of January, near Dr. King’s actual birthday, Jan. 15, and was the first national holiday to honor an African American. In January 2000, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all 50 U.S. states.
Commemorative Events: Parades, marches, and speeches by civil rights leaders and politicians.
Educational Outreach: Schools and museums hold special programs, readings of his works (such as the “I Have a Dream” speech), and discussions on civil rights history.
Community Action: Thousands of volunteers engage in service projects, ranging from food drives to environmental cleanups.
Core Themes of the Celebration
◈Civil Rights Achievements: Dr. King’s instrumental role in ending legal racial segregation and discrimination through nonviolent protest
◈Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
◈National Day of Service: Often described as a “day on, not a day off,” it is the only federal holiday designated by Congress as a National Day of Service. Americans are encouraged to participate in community volunteer projects to advance Dr. King’s vision of a “Beloved Community”.
◈Nonviolent Resistance: The holiday honors the philosophy of nonviolence (inspired by figures like Mahatma Gandhi) as a powerful tool for social and political change.
◈Equality and Justice: It serves as a time to reflect on ongoing struggles for racial equality, justice, and human dignity both in the U.S. and globally.
About The King Center
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) is a 501(c) (3) organization established in 1968 by Mrs. Coretta Scott King. The King Center is the official living memorial and programmatic nonprofit organization committed to educating the world on the life, legacy, and teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The King Center serves to inspire new generations to carry forward his unfinished work, strengthen causes, and empower change-makers who are continuing his efforts today.
The King Center’s premiere educational initiative, Nonviolence365®, is based on Dr. King’s philosophy and methodology of nonviolence. His teachings engage participants from various sectors of society, including emerging and next-generation leaders, through modules and exercises that enhance communication, leadership, interpersonal skills, and conflict resolution, and empower individuals to address injustice.
The Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (The King Center) is a 501(c)(3) organization established to coordinate nonviolent mass demonstrations that successfully pressured the U.S. government to pass the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
About Dr. Martin Luther King
He received his Bachelor’s degree from Morehouse at age 19, then enrolled at Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity in 1951. He earned a doctorate in systematic theology from Boston University in 1955.
King married Coretta Scott on June 18, 1953, on the lawn of her parents’ house in her hometown of Heiberger, Alabama. They became the parents of four children: Yolanda King (1955–2007), Martin Luther King III (b. 1957), Dexter Scott King (b. 1961), and Bernice King (b. 1963).
Dr. Bernice A. King, the CEO of The King Center in Georgia, said this year marks her father’s 97th birthday, and that his teachings continue to call for cooperation over domination, community over isolation, and moral imagination over fear.
Hi teachings “… require that we reject racism, militarism, and excessive materialism (poverty), not only as social evils, but as barriers to our shared survival,” Dr. Bernice King said.
In Atlanta, Georgia, programs and events are celebrating the 2026 King Holiday Observance. Beginning Monday, January 12, 2026, and continuing through Monday, January 19, 2026.
“This year’s King Holiday Observance theme and corresponding experiences and events reflect a call up and in, to the collective, critical work of building community, uniting a nation, and thereby shifting the world – the nonviolent way,” Dr. Bernice A. King said in a statement on the MLK website.
“There is not a more urgent bell we must answer than the one signaling that it is indeed beyond time for us to realize our interconnectedness in what my father called the ‘World House,’ and to learn to live together well. KHO 2026 is purposed to galvanize us for answering that bell and prepare us for the love-centered strategic work ahead, she added.”
More information and a schedule of events can be found here. A commemorative program is here.