Martin Luther King Day

Martin Luther King was one of the leaders of the civil rights movements in the US. His birthday is celebrated on the 3rd Monday of January each year. It’s a national holiday in the US and has become a day to remember the civil rights movement all over the world.

Who celebrates?

Everyone – it’s global celebration.

How do people celebrate?

People and organisations celebrate by recognising the those involved in the civil rights movement, what they achieved but also the progress still left to be made in equality in the UK.

What should I know?

• Martin Luther King Jr. was an American activist who was seen as the leader of the civil rights movement in the US until his assassination in 1968
• Paul Stevenson is seen as one of the leaders of the UK civil rights movement. He paved the way for the UK’s first race laws following his organisation of the Bristol bus boycott

How can I support others?

• Use the additional resources sources to find out more about the UK’s civil rights movement
• Take the opportunity to talk about the discrimination that still exists in UK society and whether you can identify any exclusion in your service or team
• Discuss the ethnic diversity of your volunteers with your team and what more can be done to increase diversity in your area

Metro: Martin Luther King jones: https://metro.co.uk/2020/01/20/martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-to-mark-martin-luther-king-day-12084091/

Guardian profile: Paul Stevenson: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/oct/01/paul-stephenson-the-hero-who-refused-to-leave-a-pub-and-helped-desegregate-britain

London Youth: Civil Rights movement UK: https://londonyouth.org/black-history-month-lets-talk-about-the-uk-civil-rights-movement/