Each year, the United States sets aside the third Monday in January, closest to King's birthday (born January 15th, 1929) to remember the life and work of legendary civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the chief spokesperson for the Civil Right Movement, he dedicated his life to nonviolent activism against racial discrimination in federal and state law.
King's life ended abruptly when he was assassinated in 1968, but he left behind a generation of leaders who continued fighting for equal rights. Today, many people spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering in their communities and reflecting on the ideas King stood for. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr. and his impact>.
PBS NC commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with special programs honoring King's legacy and delving into his impact and the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Did you know Martin Luther King Jr Day wasn’t celebrated in all 50 states until 2000? And that in order to create the holiday honoring the civil rights leader we needed help from Stevie Wonder and the National Football League. Why was this the case? Well MLK Jr, wasn’t beloved by everyone during his life and winning the battle to create a holiday in his honor took a lot of work. How did happen?
Watch The Origin of Everything's "How Did Martin Luther King Jr. Get a Holiday?," streaming now on the PBS app.
Follow the journey of civil rights hero, congressman, and human rights champion John Lewis. At the Selma March, Lewis came face-to-face with club-wielding troopers and exemplified non-violence.
Watch John Lewis - Get in the Way, Monday, 1/20, 10 PM on PBS NC. Streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
By 1964, black Mississippians had suffered 75 years of Jim Crow. Civil rights activists came up with a daring plan for change. Bringing white students to Mississippi for a summer-long voter registration drive. Mississippi Public Broadcasting commemorated the 50th anniversary of Freedom Summer with a documentary which explored the content, events, and aftermath of those 10 weeks.
Watch 1964: The Fight for a Right, streaming now on the PBS app.
A celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s legacy with a visit to one of North Carolina’s oldest Black-owned newspapers. Then a one-on-one conversation about the far-reaching impact Black media has on society. Guest La’Meshia Whittington, executive director of the Green Majority, joins host Kenia Thompson.
Streaming now on the PBS app. Watch more Black Issues Forum Fridays, 7 PM on PBS NC.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state.
Featured stories from Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise are now streaming on the PBS app.
In the late 1960s, many young black activists saw Dr. King as out of touch.
When Black neighborhoods across America erupted in violence during the summer of 1967, President Johnson appointed a commission to determine what happened, why it happened, and what could be done to keep it from happening again. The bi-partisan commission’s final report offered a shockingly unvarnished assessment of American race relations that would doom its finding to political oblivion.
Watch American Experience, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations continue to be felt today. Narrated by political leader and civil rights activist Julian Bond (1940-2015).
Watch Eyes on the Prize, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Individual acts of courage inspire Black Southerners to fight for their rights.
In hour 3 of Making Black America, the Great Depression will devastate America’s economy and bring Black America to its knees. To survive, the Black community will use social networks to navigate the oppressive realities of Jim Crow. Host Henry Louis Gates, Jr. explores how social networks formed the cultural, economic and political foundation of the Civil Rights Movement which would transform America’s race relations.
Watch Making Black America, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.
Elmo and his friends are making a Peace Tree to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They each draw pictures on leaves to show how they will carry on Dr. King’s wish by treating people fairly and kindly, but Elmo doesn’t know what to draw. With Tamir’s help, Elmo finds the perfect thing to draw on his leaf and complete the tree.
Watch Sesame Street, streaming now on PBSKIDS.org and the PBS KIDS Video app.
PBS News Hour Classroom
Use PBS News Hour Classroom resources to examine King's impact on civil rights and his ongoing legacy.
PBS LearningMedia
Explore educational materials from the series "Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise."
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