Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

’s Birthday
©2007 Pamela A. Hamilton
http://besthbcu.blogspot.com/

Shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, Mrs. Coretta Scott King,
his widow, began pushing for a federal holiday to honor the tremendous contribution Dr. King
made to the welfare of the United States, but it wasn’t until 1980, when Stevie Wonder’s song
“Happy Birthday” became a hit, that true national support for the holiday began to rally. In 1981,
Mrs. King worked even harder. She began writing local, state, and federal leaders, asking them
to pass proclamations and resolutions to commemorate a holiday for Dr. King. By 1983, both the
Senate and the House passed the King Holiday Bill and President Ronald Reagan signed the bill
into law. Since 1986, Dr. King’s birthday has been celebrated every third Monday in January by
more than 100 countries.

T NRRS E O T P S D E F E ATN 1. According to Dr. MARTIN

2. LUTHER
L T OA I R S L O A MU S N P C E 3. KING, Jr.,
4. UNCONDITIONAL love means
C O L OV E E P B U R O E O UR B 5. NONVIOLENCE in action.
6. There are six PRINCIPLES
E O YNBH O P I T O CN N Y I A 7. of nonviolence that TEACH
8. PRACTITIONERS
AMR S J TMR L H F S C V AR L 9. how to live COURAGEOUSLY;
10. how to win FRIENDSHIP and
T S A E E U H A C T S OC I DNV 11. UNDERSTANDING;
12. how to DEFEAT injustice without
K U UR T L S C E E N DY O HR A 13. defeating the PEOPLE that cause it;
14. how to use SUFFERING
T N NV T T P T A D A E N L T T L 15. to EDUCATE and
16. TRANSFORM yourself and others;
O I AAA I A I I E R O E E R T S 17. how to BELIEVE
18. that the UNIVERSE
E V J N I RN T C C T AL N I PU 19. favors JUSTICE;

J E OTBR I I R N E UP C BR F 20. and how to CHOOSE

21. LOVE instead of hate.
R R N E AO A O G N I KO E GN F 22. Mrs. CORETTA
23. SCOTT
D S L GN I D N A T S R E D NU E 24. King said that the BEST
25. way to CELEBRATE
D E TAR E MEMM O C P MLNR 26. her HUSBAND’s birthday is
27. to be a SERVANT –
C A L VCO U R A G E OU S L Y I 28. to HELP someone else.
29. Dr. King’s BIRTHDAY
D H S DNA B S U H MON D AYN 30. is COMMEMERATED
31. every 3rd MONDAY
E DUCAT E V E I L EB E S EG 32. in JANUARY.