Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2027 falls on Monday, 18 January 2027. The federal holiday is set by law on the third Monday in January (5 U.S.C. § 6103), close to King’s birthday on 15 January 1929. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill creating it on 2 November 1983.
M4 quote images · Checked by Maddy · Updated 6 October 2026
MLK Day quotes
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“Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.”
From “The Drum Major Instinct” (4 February 1968), about greatness as service
School or the office
“The time is always right to do right.”
Short, and these are his exact words (Oberlin College, 1965)
A news or justice context
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
From the Letter from Birmingham Jail (16 April 1963)
A hard week
“Only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.”
From his last speech, Memphis, 3 April 1968
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How the holiday came about
King was born in Atlanta on 15 January 1929 and killed in Memphis on 4 April 1968 (NobelPrize.org). Fifteen years after his death, President Reagan signed the law making his birthday a national holiday. At the White House ceremony on 2 November 1983, Coretta Scott King was in the audience (Reagan Library). Federal law now places the holiday on the third Monday in January, which in 2027 is the 18th.
Because federal law fixes it to “the third Monday in January” rather than to King’s birthday, 15 January (5 U.S.C. § 6103). That gives a three-day weekend each year.
Who made MLK Day a federal holiday?
Congress passed the bill and President Ronald Reagan signed it at the White House on 2 November 1983, with Coretta Scott King present (Reagan Library).
What is a good MLK quote for MLK Day?
For a day of service, “everybody can be great, because everybody can serve” (“The Drum Major Instinct,” 1968). For school or work, “the time is always right to do right” (Oberlin College, 1965) is short and accurate. For a reflective post, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” (Letter from Birmingham Jail, 1963).
How this page was made: written with AI assistance from the primary sources listed above.Every quotation and fact was checked against those sources by Maddy on 6 October 2026. How we verify · Last updated 6 October 2026
