Rev. Martin Luther King is honored with a holiday in his memory today. Civil rights leader Martin Luther King Day is commemorated on the third Monday in January each year. This year’s official holiday is Monday, Jan. 21, a week after King’s actual birthday on Jan. 15. King was born Jan. 15, 1929 in Atlanta. He rose to national prominence when he led the boycott of the Montgomery’s transit system after Rosa Parks, an African-American, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a city bus. King later helped form the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and went on to lead protests throughout the South and, in 1963, was a central figure in the March on Washington. King was killed by an assassin on April 4, 1968 in Memphis. Long path to a federal holiday MLK Day is a federal holiday, though it was not made official until 18 years after his assassination. Efforts to honor King with a federal holiday began just months after his April 4, 1968 death. Those efforts failed, as did a 1979 vote by Congress that came after King's widow, Coretta Scott King, spoke out in favor of the day. Momentum for the holiday grew in 1980 when entertainer Stevie Wonder released "Happy Birthday" in King's honor, leading to a petition calling for MLK Day and, in 1983, House passage of a holiday bill. Despite Senate objections, the King holiday passed the Senate and was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. The first official Martin Luther King Jr. Day was observed on the third Monday of January 1986. In the beginning only 27 states recognized the holiday. In 2000, Utah became the last state to recognize MLK Day by name, the same year South Carolina became the final state to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a paid holiday for employees. Here’s a look at what’s open, what’s closed on Martin Luther King Day 2019: Federal offices - Closed State offices - closed City and county offices - Most closed Courts - Closed U.S. Post Office - Closed, no service Fed Ex – Modified schedule, some early drop offs and pickups. All other FedEx services will operate normally. UPS - Open, normal pick-up and delivery ABC stores - Alabama state liquor stores are open unless otherwise closed on Monday Grocery stores - Open Banks - Closed Stores and malls - Open, most on normal schedules Stock markets - Closed Schools and universities - Closed Track pick-up - Most will be suspended on MLK Day, check with your provider for holiday schedules Public transportation- Limited or moderated service in most areas, check with your provider<doc-sep>There will be no mail delivery Monday due to the fact that it's a national holiday in honor of the civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Jr. MLK Jr. Day is federal holiday meaning the United States Postal Service, as well other government offices, won't be open and there won't be normal day-to-day mail delivery. The lack of mail delivery has nothing to do with the partial government shutdown or any lack of funding. Other government services, like National parks, TSA and museums, were impacted by the shutdown but not the mail service. There are 10 days a year during that the USPS does not deliver, aside from Sundays and the occasional day of mourning in the event of the death of a sitting or former president. Those 10 holidays are New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas. During the holidays and Sundays, customers can't bring any mail or packages to ship to a branch and even the mail they drop in a USPS blue box won't be picked up that day. For Martin Luther King Jr. Day there is no mail delivery and branches are closed but the they will be open the Saturday before. Blue box collections also are scheduled to resume the following Tuesday. Martin Luther King Jr. Day has been a public holiday since 1983. It was signed into law by President Ronald Raegan at the time. "The day (and federal holiday) is declared each year via Presidential Proclamation and is in honor of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The first proclamation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was also by Ronald Reagan just over two years later," according to the Library of Congress. It took 15 years for the holiday to come to be, the first time the holiday was proposed was in 1968 following MLK's assassination. There was a nearly successful attempt to make his birthday a federal holiday again in 1979 that just barely missed passing as a holiday. When it eventually passed in 1983 after a heated debate it was decided that it would be celebrated on the third Monday in January rather than on his actual birthday, January 15, each year. The bill passed in the Senate on October 19 and then President Raegan signed it two weeks later, according to Senate records.​<doc-sep>It is a federal holiday, so there will be some closures. Here's a list. Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on the third Monday in January, and is held in honor of the civil rights leader's Jan. 15 birthday. This year's annual MLK Breakfast gets underway at 7 a.m. at The Armory in Minneapolis, with award-winning CNN anchor Don Lemon the keynote speaker. It's also a federal holiday, so there will be some services closed as a result. Here's a look at what's open and closed. Postal service The U.S. Postal Service will not be delivering mail, nor will post offices be open. (The only exception is for Priority Mail deliveries.) UPS and FedEx will operate as usual, no changes for the holiday, though FedEx notes that some deliveries might be slightly later because the USPS observes the holiday. Local, state, federal government offices Government offices at all levels are generally closed aside from emergency services. In Minneapolis, for example, city government offices are closed as is the Minneapolis 311 service. Libraries Generally closed, including the Hennepin County Libraries system, the Ramsey Countyand St. Paul Public libraries, and Duluth Public Library. Banks U.S. Bank, TCF Bank and Wells Fargo recognize MLK Day as a bank holiday, so you'll find most branches will be closed. Any transactions you can make won't be processed till Tuesday. Garbage collection In Minneapolis, there will be regular pickups on Monday despite the holiday, however the Downtown Solid Waste customer service office and the South Transfer Station will be closed. It's the same in St. Paul, where MLK Day isn't one of the holidays that alters collection days. Parking City parking meters in Minneapolis won't be enforced on MLK Day, but Park Board meters along Minneapolis parkways will be, as will University of Minnesota parking meters. Meters also won't be enforced in St. Paul. Stores and malls Most of these will be open and operating as usual. Transit Metro Transit is running a normal schedule on MLK Day, including buses, the light rail and the Northstar. However Minnesota Valley Transit Authority is running a reduced service on three routes: 460, 465 and 477. More information on this can be found here.<doc-sep>
On January 21, 2019, Americans all over will most likely have the day off. On this day we honor the work of famous civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. whose birthday was on January 15, 1929 and would’ve turned 90 this year. Ever since 1983 when President Ronald Reagan made it official we get this day off as Americans. So this Monday, whether you have the day off or not, it might be hard to know what will or won’t be open. Let this be your guide. Here’s what’s open and closed on Martin Luther King Day 2019. Are banks open on Martin Luther King Day 2019? Many banks follow the holiday schedule that the Federal Reserve uses. Because the Reserve is a part of the federal government, it observes Martin Luther King Jr. Day and is closed. This means most bank locations will be closed in the United States as well, however mobile banking and ATMs should still be accessible. Is Martin Luther King Day a Federal Holiday? Yes, Martin Luther King Day is a federal holiday. Former President Ronald Reagan signed the bill to make the civil rights hero’s birthday, January 15th, a nationally recognized holiday on Nov. 2, 1983. This honor had only been previously given to President George Washington. Is the U.S. post office office open today? The United States Postal Service is under the Executive Branch of the government, therefore it will be closed on Martin Luther King Day, Jan. 21, 2019 and mail will not be running. Is the post office open on Martin Luther King Day Joe Raedle—Getty Images However, UPS and FedEx will be open normal business hours with modified services for FedEx Express and Smart Post. If you are expecting mail or packages through these two services on Monday you will most likely receive them. Are schools open on Martin Luther King Day? The majority of schools, colleges and universities will be closed on Martin Luther King Day 2019. However some towns in states like South Carolina, Georgia and Florida haven’t observed this holiday in years past and used it as a make-up day due to weather earlier in the school year. Is the stock market open on Martin Luther King Day? The New York Stock Exchange will be closed on the third Monday in January. This is one of the few days it is closed during the entire year. Are stores and restaurants open on Martin Luther King Day? After the holiday shopping season you’d think that there was nothing else to buy. However, many major retail stores and restaurants stay open on Martin Luther King Jr. day, with some businesses offering sales. Write to Elaine Selna at elaine.selna@time.com.