"Honoring Dr. King's Legacy: A Guide to Watching the 2025 MLK Day Service"
This year’s keynote speaker will be Bishop William J. Barber , co-chair of the Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival.
Born in 1963 in Indianapolis, Bishop Barber grew up in Washington County, North Carolina, where he attended public school during the desegregation era. His journey as a leader began early; at 15, he was elected president of his local NAACP youth council. By 17, he became the first student body president to serve a full year in his newly integrated high school, a departure from the previous practice of alternating leadership between Black and white presidents each semester.
Bishop Barber's leadership continued during his time at North Carolina Central University (), a historically Black college. At 19, he was elected student government president and graduated cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in 1985. He later earned a master of divinity from Duke University and a doctorate in public policy and pastoral care from Drew University.
A lifelong advocate for justice, Bishop Barber is deeply committed to activism and nonviolent protest, making him a powerful voice for moral and social change.
In 2013, he led the "Moral Mondays" protests in Raleigh, championing civil rights and social justice. In May 2017, he was arrested at the North Carolina State Legislative Building for refusing to leave during a protest against health care legislation. Later that month, he announced his leadership of the "Poor People’s Campaign: A National Call for Moral Revival," continuing the mission of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s 1968 campaign.
In 2021, he faced arrest once more in Washington, D.C., while leading a peaceful protest advocating for voting rights and fair wages.
Currently, the bishop heads Repairers of the Breach, a North Carolina-based nonprofit focused on social change. He also serves as a distinguished professor at Yale University's Center for Public Theology and Public Policy.
Why Do We Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
MLK Day is a federal holiday honoring the life and legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., urging reflection on the ongoing fight against racism and for civil rights.
Dr. King, widely considered one of history’s greatest nonviolent leaders, played a pivotal role in the Civil Rights Movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. He led transformative efforts like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington, inspiring change through peaceful protest.
Honors the King Family Legacy
This year, commemorates Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King with a dedicated bus celebrating their contributions to equality and justice.
MLK Day is observed annually on the third Monday of January, which doesn’t always coincide with Dr. King’s birthday on January 15. The next time they align will be in 2029.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially established as a federal holiday in 1983, but it wasn’t until 2000 that all 50 states fully recognized it.
The journey to this milestone began in 1968 when Michigan Congressman John Conyers introduced the first proposal to honor Dr. King's birthday as a federal holiday. He made this motion just four days after King’s assassination in Memphis and continued to reintroduce it in every legislative session until 1983.
Illinois led the way as the first state to declare MLK Day a state holiday in 1973, with other states like Massachusetts, Connecticut, and New Jersey following suit by enacting their own state-level observances.
Despite growing support, it took 11 years before Conyers’ proposal was brought to a vote in the House of Representatives in 1979. Unfortunately, the bill narrowly failed, falling short by just five votes with a tally of 252-133.
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