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Home , Alberta Williams King, Bernice King, Dick Gregory, Edmund Pettus Bridge, Izola Curry, March Against Fear

The Fierce Urgency of Now:

Building Bridges of

Department of Administrative Services Justice, Equality, Mike DeWine, Governor Jon Husted, Lt. Governor Matt Damschroder, Director and Unity Dr. Martin Luther , Jr. Holiday Commission 2021 Calendar Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission

Dear Reader,

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led with a fierce urgency to bring change and build understanding. His enduring hope for a better tomorrow is fitting today as we enter 2021 and emerge from a year of uncertainty and change. The theme of this year’s calendar – The Fierce Urgency of Now: Building Bridges of Justice, Equality, and Unity – captures his legacy of acting today to bring a better tomorrow.

Inspired by the recent loss of Congressman and Cordy Tindell Vivian, as well as the historic recent events calling for social justice, this year’s calendar features civil rights leaders and icons whose fearless resolve in the face of intolerance continue to inspire us today. Their wise words are moving today as we carry on Dr. King’s pursuit of nonviolent change through positive activism in our communities.

Typically, this calendar showcases outstanding Ohio youth who competed in the Statewide MLK Oratorical Contest. However, the 2020 contest was canceled due to the pandemic. We look forward to resuming this wonderful tradition of highlighting exceptional Ohio students who share Dr. King’s oratorical gifts in the future. For information about becoming involved with the oratorical contest, please visit our website at das.ohio.gov/mlk.

Thank you for your support of the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission as we strive to carry out Dr. King's dream of serving others, eliminating discrimination, and embracing diversity.

Respectfully,

McKinley Brown, Chair David Jehnsen Rev. Joel L. King, Jr., Vice Chair Jeffrey L. Johnson Napoleon A. Bell II Will Lucas Paul M. Booth Elizabeth Blount McCormick Kacy Bullard Christina Rodriguez Senator Hearcel F. Craig Tracey Winbush Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission Members

Chair Vice Chair Napoleon A. Bell II Paul M. Booth McKinley Brown Rev. Joel L. King, Jr. Columbus Cincinnati Cincinnati Gahanna

Kacy Bullard Senator David Jehnsen Jeffrey L. Johnson Will Lucas Columbus Hearcel F. Craig Galena New Albany Toledo Columbus

Elizabeth Blount Christina Rodriguez Tracey Winbush McCormick Toledo Youngstown Columbus

To learn more about the MLK Holiday Commission, visit das.ohio.gov/mlk. January 2021 Janvier - Enero

December 2020 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 LEADERS 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 31 28

“There will be no SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY quiet or peace in this land until justice and equality cover the United States of America as 3 4 5 the water covers the seas.” ~ Rev.

Abernathy (1926-1990) was a Baptist minister and civil 10 11 12 rights leader who joined Dr. King to organize the Montgomery bus boycotts. He also co-founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. 17 18 19

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 24 25 26

31 1976 • January 14 – The King Center dedicates the Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center.

“We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "" speech, August 28, 1963

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2

New Year’s Day Seventh Day of Imani (Faith) National Mentoring Month begins 6 7 8 9

Epiphany Orthodox 13 14 15 16

You’re invited to the 36th annual Ohio Dr. Martin Dr. Robert C. Weaver becomes first Black Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Celebration. nominated to serve on a U.S. Presidential This year’s event will be held virtually and can Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. born in , Ga. Cabinet (Secretary of HUD) (1966) be viewed at das.ohio.gov/mlk. (1929) 20 21 22 23

Colin Powell appointed U.S. Secretary of State by President George W. Bush. He becomes the first African American to serve in the post. (2001) 27 28 29 30

Mohandas Gandhi assassinated in New Delhi, India (1948) The Kings’ third child, Dexter Scott, born in Atlanta, Ga. (1961) passes away International Holocaust Remembrance Day at age 78 (2006) February 2021 Février - Febrero

January 2021 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 LEADERS 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 31 31 Courage, after SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY all, is not being unafraid, but 1 2 doing what needs to be done begins in spite of fear.” First Civil Rights Act Passes (1866) ~ James L. Farmer, Jr. 7 8 9

Farmer (1920-1999) was a devotee of Ghandi’s nonviolent strategies and leader of the Congress for Racial Equality. While at Wiley College, he joined the team of “great debaters,” 14 15 16 which was coached by legendary teacher Melvin Tolson, known for inspiring generations of students to stand up for equal rights. He organized the historic Valentine’s Day Presidents’ Day Freedom Rides of 1961 and received the Presidential 21 22 23 Medal of Freedom in 1968.

Malcom X, leader of the Organization of Afro-American Unity and former Black Muslim George Washington born in leader, assassinated in (1965) Westmoreland County, Va. (1732) 28 1957 • February 14 – Dr. King establishes the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to fight for civil rights and against segregation. He is elected the group’s first president.

"Love is the greatest force in the universe. It is the heartbeat of the moral cosmos. He who loves is a participant in the being of God."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From a rare handwritten letter he penned in the mid-

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

3 4 5 6

Rosa Parks Day 15th Amendment giving African American ( and observance) men the right to vote ratified (1870) born in Tuskegee, Ala. (1913) National Wear Red Day 10 11 12 13

Chinese New Year Abraham Lincoln born in Hardin County, Ky. (1809) NAACP founded (1909) 17 18 19 20

Ash Wednesday (Lent begins) 24 25 26 27

Purim begins at sundown March 2021 Mars - Marzo

February 2021 April 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LEADERS 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 28 25 26 27 28 29 30 “A spirit of SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY harmony can only survive 1 2 if each of us remembers,

when bitterness Women’s History Month begins Read Across America Day and self-interest 7 8 9 seem to prevail, that we share International Women’s Day a Harriet Tubman born in “Bloody Sunday” in Selma, Ala. (1965) Dorchester County, Md. (1820) destiny.” ~ Barbara Jordan 14 15 16

Jordan (1936-1996) was a lawyer and educator who was the first African American woman elected Daylight Saving Time begins to the Texas Senate in 1966. There, she helped pass the 21 22 23 state's first law on minimum wage and create the Texas Fair Employment Practices Commission. She later served in the U.S. House of Selma-to-Montgomery Freedom March, Representatives and earned led by Dr. King, begins (1965) the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1994. 28 29 30

Palm Sunday Passover Lailat al Bara’ah Lent ends The King’s fourth child, Bernice Albertine, born in Atlanta, Ga. (1963) National Passover 1968 • March 28 – Dr. King leads 6,000 protesters on a march through downtown Memphis, Tenn., in support of striking sanitation workers.

"Violence is immoral because it thrives on hatred rather than love ... violence ends up defeating itself. It creates bitterness in the survivors and brutality in the destroyers."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, 10, 1964

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 4 5 6

U.S. Supreme Court rules against citizenship for (1857) 10 11 12 13

Lailat al Miraj 17 18 19 20

St. Patrick’s Day Spring begins 24 25 26 27

Passover begins at sundown

Civil Rights activist Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery passes away at age 98 (2020) 31

Passover

César Chávez born in San Luis, Ariz. (1927) April 2021 Avril - Abril

March 2021 May 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LEADERS 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 “My story is a SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY freedom song of struggle. It is about finding one's purpose, how to overcome fear 4 5 6 and to stand up for causes bigger Passover ends Dr. King delivers anti-Vietnam War speech, “Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence” (1967) than one's self.” Dr. King assassinated in Memphis, Tenn. (1968) ~ Coretta Scott King 11 12 13 King (1927-2006), the wife of Dr. King, worked alongside her husband as he became a leader in the and later became First of begins at sundown First Day of Ramadan an activist in her own right. She later founded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for 18 19 20 Nonviolent Social Change and lobbied for Dr. King’s birthday to be recognized as a federal holiday.

25 26 27

Dr. Patterson founds United Negro College Fund (UNCF) (1944) Coretta Scott born in Marion, Ala. (1927) 2015 • April 27 – Loretta E. Lynch is sworn in as the 83rd Attorney General of the United States. She is the first African American woman to serve in the post.

"If we are to have peace on earth, our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Our loyalties must transcend our race, our tribe, our class, and our nation; and this means we must develop a world perspective."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Christmas sermon on peace, 1967

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3

Maundy Thursday Passover Passover Passover 7 8 9 10

Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) Coretta Scott King leads Memorial March in begins at sundown Memphis, Tenn., with sanitation workers (1968) 14 15 16 17

Yom Ha’atzma’ut Tax Day begins at sundown Abraham Lincoln assassinated in Washington, D.C. (1865) Yom Ha’atzma’ut 21 22 23 24

Earth Day César Chávez passes away at age 66 (1993) 28 29 30

Arbor Day May 2021 Mai - Mayo

April 2021 June 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 LEADERS 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 25 26 27 28 29 30 27 28 29 30 “The talk of SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY winning our share is not the easy one of disengagement and flight, but the hard one 2 3 4 of work, of short as well as long jumps, of disappointments, Eastern Orthodox Easter and of sweet 9 10 11 success.”

~ Mother’s Day Yom Yerushalayim begins at sundown Laylat al Qadr Yom Yerushalayim End of Ramadan Wilkins (1901-1981) served as the executive director of the National Association for 16 17 18 the Advancement of Colored

People (NAACP) from 1955- Brown vs. Board of Education ruling to 77 where he also served as end segregation in schools (1954) editor of Crisis, the official Dr. King delivers “” speech at magazine of the NAACP. National Prayer Pilgrimage, Lincoln Memorial, Shavuot begins at sundown Washington, D.C. (1957) Shavuot ends He also was co-founder of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Wilkins 23 24 25 participated in the March on Washington, the Selma to Montgomery marches, and the .

Lag B’Omer 30 31 African Liberation Day 1951 • May 8 – King, Jr. graduates from Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania with a bachelor of divinity degree, delivering the valedictory address at commencement.

"We must walk on in the days ahead with an audacious faith in the future.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Where Do We Go From Here?" address, August 16, 1967

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1

Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month begins 5 6 7 8

Cinco de Mayo 12 13 14 15

Armed Forces Day Yolanda Denise King, the King’s eldest Eid ul-Fitr begins at sundown Eid ul-Fitr daughter, passes away (2007) 19 20 21 22

Malcom X born in Omaha, Neb. (1925) 26 27 28 29

Lag B’Omer begins at sundown June 2021 Juin - Junio

May 2021 July 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 1 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 LEADERS 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 "In recognizing SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY the humanity of our fellow 1 beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute." ~ 6 7 8

Marshall (1908-1993) was a civil rights lawyer and the first African American justice on the Supreme Court. D-Day Marshall served as chief attorney for the plaintiffs in Brown v. Board of Education 13 14 15 of Topeka, Kansas, the landmark case that went to the U.S. Supreme Court and ended in Dr. King launches Summer Community Organization and Political Education project public schools in 1954. Thurgood Marshall appointed to (SCOPE) and trains 500 students to register U.S. Supreme Court (1967) U.S. Army Birthday voters in five southern states (1965) 20 21 22

Father’s Day

Summer begins 27 28 29 2013 • June 25 – U.S. Supreme Court rules that part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 is unconstitutional in its current form, freeing nine states, mostly in the South, to change their election laws without prior federal approval.

"We must use time creatively, in the knowledge that the time is always ripe to do right."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter From Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 2 3 4 5

Presidential candidate Sen. Robert Kennedy assassinated in Los Angeles, Calif., and passes away the next day (1968) 9 10 11 12

Civil Rights activist assassinated in Jackson, Miss. (1963) 16 17 18 19

Martin Luther King, Jr. marries Coretta Scott (1953) (African American ) 23 24 25 26

30

Alberta Williams King, mother of Dr. King, shot and killed playing organ in , Atlanta, Ga. (1974) July 2021 Juillet - Julio

June 2021 August 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 LEADERS 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 27 28 29 30 29 30 31 “We had SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY people of all backgrounds coming together -- all races, all creeds, all colors, all status in life. 4 5 6 And coming together there was a kind of quiet dignity and Independence Day a kind of sense 11 12 13 of caring and a feeling of joint

responsibility.” Black Lives Matter movement founded (2013) ~ 18 19 20

Height (1912-2010) is

considered one of the most influential women in the , president of South Africa Eid ul-Adha Civil Rights Movement who and political activist, born in Transkei, begins at sundown Eid ul-Adha viewed the issues of equality South Africa (1918) Hajj Hajj for African Americans and women as intertwined and led the National Council of 25 26 27 Negro Women for 40 years. She was a chief organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. 1966 • July 10 – Dr. King launches a drive to make an open city regarding housing, which would enable Blacks to live in any neighborhood.

"One day we will learn that the heart can never be totally right when the head is totally wrong."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. From , 1963

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3

Civil Rights Act signing (1964) 7 8 9 10

14th Amendment granting African Americans citizenship ratified (1868) 14 15 16 17 Hajj begins

Congressman John Robert Lewis, civil rights icon, passes away at age 80 (2020) Cordy Tindell Vivian, 2013 Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient and civil rights icon, died at age 95 (2020) 21 22 23 24

Hajj

Alfred Daniel King, Dr. King’s younger brother, is found drowned in his swimming pool, Atlanta, Ga. (1969) Hajj ends 28 29 30 31

Alfred Daniel Williams King, Dr. King’s younger brother, born in Atlanta, Ga. (1930) August 2021 Août - Agosto

July 2021 September 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 LEADERS 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 26 27 28 29 30

“I always tell SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY young people to hold on to their 1 2 3 dreams. And sometimes you have to stand up for what you 8 9 10 think is right even if you have

to stand alone.” Hijra – begins First of Muharram begins at sundown Hijra – Islamic New Year ~ 15 16 17 Colvin (1939-) is an activist who was a pioneer in the Civil Rights Movement in during the 1950s. She was arrested in 1955 after refusing to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks' 22 23 24 more famous protest. She became a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, which ruled that Montgomery's

segregated bus system was International Day for the Remembrance of unconstitutional. the Slave Trade and its Abolition 29 30 31

Thurgood Marshall confirmed as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court (1967) 1963 • August 28 – The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the first large, integrated protest march, is held in Washington, D.C. Dr. King delivers his “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. Afterward, he and other civil rights leaders meet with President Kennedy in the White House.

“Science investigates; religion interprets. Science gives man knowledge, which is power; religion gives man wisdom, which is control. Science deals mainly with facts; religion deals mainly with values. The two are not rivals."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "A Tough Mind and a Tender Heart” sermon, August 30, 1959

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 4 5 6 7

President Lyndon B. Johnson signs U.S. Coast Guard Birthday Voting Rights Act of 1965 11 12 13 14

18 19 20 21

Day of begins at sundown Ashura Senior Citizens Day 25 26 27 28

King Center spearheads 20th Anniversary of the March on Washington (1983) MLK Federal Holiday Commission The March on Washington with Dr. King’s Women’s Equality (Suffrage) Day established (1984) “I Have a Dream” Speech (1963) September 2021 Septembre - Septiembre

August 2021 October 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 1 2 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 LEADERS 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 29 30 31 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 “A community SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY is democratic only when the humblest and weakest person can enjoy the highest civil, 5 6 7 economic, and social rights that the biggest and Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown Muharram ends most powerful possess.” 12 13 14 ~ A. Philip Randolph

A labor leader and social , Dr. King’s mother, activist, Randolph (1889- National Grandparents Day born in Atlanta, Ga. (1904) Hispanic Heritage Month begins 1979) founded the first official African American labor union. He advocated 19 20 21 ending racial discrimination and desegregating the armed forces and was a primary organizer of the

1963 March on Washington. First Day of 26 27 28

Sukkot ends begins at sundown 1962 • September 23 – Dr. King dedicates Mount Hermon Baptist Church, the newly constructed church of his uncle, the Rev. Joel L. King, Sr., in Mansfield, Ohio. The Rev. Joel L. King, Sr. was the father of MLK Holiday Commissioner Rev. Joel L. King.

"Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education."

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "The Purpose of Education," 1947

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4

Desegregation of Little Rock Central High School (1957) 8 9 10 11

Patriot Day

Rosh Hashanah Willie , Dr. King’s International Literacy Day older sister, born in Atlanta, Ga. (1927) 15 16 17 18

Yom Kippur begins at sundown U. S. Air Force Birthday 22 23 24 25

Autumn begins 29 30

Simchat Torah October 2021 Octobre - Octubre

September 2021 November 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 LEADERS 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 26 27 28 29 30 28 29 30 “We are one SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY people; we are only family. And when we finally accept these truths, then we will be 3 4 5 able to fulfill Dr. King's dream to build a beloved community, a nation, and a 10 11 12 world at peace

with itself.” President signs legislation establishing Martin Luther King, Jr. National ~ John Lewis Historic Site and Preservation District in Atlanta, Ga. (1980) Indigenous People’s Day

Lewis (1940-2020) was 17 18 19 a Freedom Rider who spoke at the 1963 March on Washington and led the "Bloody Sunday" demonstration in 1965. He King Center breaks ground for Freedom Hall went on to serve in the U.S. Complex in Atlanta, Ga. (1979) Milad un Nabi House of Representatives from 1987-2020. 24 Day 25 26 Rosa Parks passes away at age 92 in Detroit, Mich. (2005)

Halloween 31 1980 • October 10 – The Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site is established in Atlanta. The site includes his birthplace, Ebenezer Church, and the King Center.

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor, it must be demanded by the oppressed.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2

6 7 8 9

13 14 15 16

Yom HaAliyah U. S. Navy Birthday 20 21 22 23

The Kings’ second child, Martin Luther III, born in Montgomery, Ala. (1957) 27 28 29 30

Shmini Atzeret begins at sundown Shemini Atzeret November 2021 Novembre - Noviembre

October 2021 December 2021

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 1 2 3 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 LEADERS 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 “All we've got SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY to do is to keep marching. Do 1 2 tomorrow what we did today, All Saints Day Election Day

and do it the Native American Heritage Month begins All Souls Day next day, and 7 8 9 then the next day we won't have to do it at all.” Daylight Saving Time ends ~ Rev. 14 15 16 Shuttlesworth (1922-2011) was a Baptist minister and one of the South's most prominent civil rights leaders. He worked closely with Dr. King as co-founder of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and 21 22 23 organizing direct-action protests in Birmingham. He was later a community activist in Cincinnati where

he was founding pastor President John F. Kennedy of the Greater New Light assassinated in Dallas, Texas (1963) Baptist Church and the Shuttlesworth Housing Foundation. 28 29 30

Hanukkah begins at sundown Hanukkah 1959 • November 22 – Dr. King delivers the sermon at Union Grove Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio, as part of the church’s 71st anniversary celebration. Dr. King often visited Columbus, where he participated in worship and fellowship activities at Union Grove Baptist Church.

"If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Address to students at , April 1960

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 3 4 5 6

Sigd begins at sundown Sigd Kamala Harris becomes the first woman, /Deepavali first Black, and first person of South Asian descent to be elected U.S. vice president. elected 44th President of (2020) the United States of America (2008) 10 11 12 13

Veterans Day Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. passes away Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday U. S. Marine Corps Birthday at age 84 (1984) Commission established (1985) 17 18 19 20

The Kings’ first child, Yolanda Denise, born in Montgomery, Ala. (1955) 24 25 26 27

Thanksgiving December 2021 Décembre - Diciembre

November 2021 January 2022

S M T W T F S S M T W T F S INSPIRATIONAL 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 LEADERS 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 28 29 30 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 “Every man is SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY our brother, and every man’s burden is our own. Where poverty exists, all are poorer. 5 6 7 Where hate Hanukkah flourishes, all are begins (1955) corrupted. Where Anti-apartheid activist and former Hanukkah ends South African President Nelson Mandela injustice reins, all passes away at age 95 (2013). 13th Amendment abolishes slavery (1865) Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day are unequal.” 12 13 14 ~ , Jr.

Young (1921-1971) worked with local National Urban U. S. National Guard Birthday League branches before becoming head of the organization in 1961. He 19 20 21 served as a consultant on racial matters to both Presidents John F. Kennedy

and Lyndon B. Johnson. Winter begins Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. born in Stockbridge, Ga. (1899) Montgomery bus boycott ends (1956) 26 27 28

First Day of Kwanzaa/Umoja Second Day of Kwanzaa/Kujichagulia Third Day of Kwanzaa/Ujima (Unity) (Self-Determination) (Collective Work and Responsibility) 1964 • December 10 – Dr. King receives the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. At age 35, he is the youngest person in history to receive the honor and the second African American.

“Be a bush if you can't be a tree. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star. For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Speech to students at Barratt Junior High School in Philadelphia, Pa. October 26, 1967

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY 1 2 3 4 Hanukkah World AIDS Day Rosa Parks Day (Alabama, Ohio and observance) Rosa Parks arrested in Montgomery, Ala., for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated city bus (1955) Hanukkah Hanukkah Hanukkah 8 9 10 11

Human Rights Day Dr. King receives Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway (1964) 15 16 17 18

22 23 24 25

Christmas Eve Christmas 29 30 31

New Year’s Eve Fourth Day of Kwanzaa/Ujamaa Fifth Day of Kwanzaa/Nia (Cooperative Economics) (Purpose) Sixth Day of Kwanzaa/Kuumba (Creativity) A Chronology of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement

1929 Improvement Association at a meeting Oct. 23 - A second child, Martin Luther III, Jan. 15 - Michael King, later known as of community leaders. The association is born to Dr. and Mrs. King. Martin Luther King, Jr., is born to the Rev. organized the successful 381-day bus Martin Luther King, Sr. and Mrs. Alberta boycott in Montgomery, Ala., following 1958 Christine Williams King in Atlanta, Ga. Rosa Parks’ arrest on Dec. 1, 1955, for her June 23 - Dr. King, along with Roy Wilkins refusal to give up her bus seat in defiance of the National Association for the 1935 to 1944 of Jim Crow (segregation) laws. Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), King, Jr. attends David T. Howard A. Philip Randolph and Lester Granger Elementary School, Atlanta University 1956 meet with U.S. President Dwight D. Laboratory School, and Booker T. Jan. 26 - Dr. King is arrested on a charge Eisenhower. Washington High School. of traveling 30 mph in a 25 mph-zone in Montgomery, Ala. He is released on his Sept. 3 - Dr. King is arrested on a charge 1947 own recognizance. of loitering (later changed to “failure to King, Jr. is licensed to preach with his obey an officer”) in the vicinity of the father at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Jan. 30 - A bomb is thrown onto the porch Montgomery Recorder’s Court. He is Atlanta, Ga. of Dr. King’s Montgomery home. Mrs. released on a $100 bond. King is in the house with baby Yolanda 1948 Denise. No one is injured. A crowd Sept. 4 - After pleading not guilty, Dr. At age 19, King, Jr. graduates with a gathers and calls for violent retaliation. Dr. King is convicted on the charge of bachelor of arts degree in sociology from King urges . failure to obey an officer. Despite Dr. Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., where King’s objections, the fine is paid almost he enrolled at age 15. Feb. 21 - Dr. King is indicted with other immediately by Montgomery Police figures in the Montgomery bus boycott on Commissioner Clyde C. Sellers. September - Martin Luther King, Jr. enters the charge of being party to a conspiracy Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, to hinder and prevent the operation of Sept. 17 - Dr. King’s book Stride Toward Pa. After hearing Dr. A.J. Muste and Dr. business without “just or legal cause.” Freedom: The Montgomery Story is Mordecai W. Johnson preach on the life published by Harper & Row. and teachings of , he Aug. 10 - Dr. King is a speaker before the begins to study the teachings of Gandhi. platform committee of the Democratic Sept. 20 - Dr. King is stabbed in the Party in Chicago, Ill. chest by Izola Curry, who is subsequently 1951 alleged to be mentally deranged. The May 8 - King, Jr. graduates from Crozer 1957 stabbing occurs in , N.Y., while Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania with Jan. 27 - An unexploded bomb is Dr. King is autographing his recently a bachelor of divinity degree. discovered on the front porch of the Kings’ published book. His condition was said to house. be serious but not critical. 1953 June 18 - King, Jr. marries Coretta Scott in Feb. 14 - Dr. King establishes the 1959 Marion, Ala. Southern Christian Leadership Conference Jan. 30 - Dr. King meets with Walter (SCLC) to fight for civil rights and against Reuther, president of the United Auto 1954 segregation. He is elected the group’s first Workers Union, in Detroit, Mich. Oct. 31 - The Rev. King, Sr. installs president. Feb. 2 to March 10 - Dr. and Mrs. King Martin Luther King, Jr. as the 20th pastor spend a month in India studying Gandhi’s of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Feb. 18 - Dr. King is featured on the cover techniques of nonviolence as guests of Montgomery, Ala. of Time magazine. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru. 1955 May 17 - Dr. King delivers the speech, Nov. 22 - Dr. King delivers the sermon at June 5 - King, Jr. is awarded his doctorate titled “Give Us The Ballot,” for the Prayer Union Grove Baptist Church in Columbus, in systematic theology from Boston Pilgrimage for Freedom, celebrating the Ohio, as part of the church’s 71st University in Boston, Mass. third anniversary of the Supreme Court’s anniversary celebration. Dr. King often desegregation decision at the Lincoln visited Columbus, where he participated Nov. 17 - The Kings’ first child, Yolanda Memorial in Washington, D.C. in worship and fellowship activities at Denise, is born in Montgomery, Ala. Union Grove Baptist Church. During his June 13 - Dr. King meets with U.S. Vice visits, he stayed at the home of Union Dec. 5 - Dr. King is unanimously President Richard M. Nixon. Grove’s pastor, the Rev. Phale D. Hale, and elected president of the Montgomery his wife, Cleo Hale. Nov. 29 - Dr. King resigns as pastor of Dec. 15 - Dr. King arrives in Albany, Ga., in 1964 Dexter Avenue Baptist Church to focus response to a call from Dr. W.G. Anderson, May to June - Dr. King joins other SCLC full-time on the Civil Rights Movement. the leader of the , to workers in a demonstration for the desegregate public facilities. integration of public accommodations 1960 in St. Augustine, Fla. He is arrested and Jan. 24 - The King family moves to Atlanta, Dec. 16 - Dr. King is arrested at an Albany, jailed. Ga., to allow Dr. King to devote more time Ga., demonstration. He is charged with to the SCLC. Dr. King becomes co-pastor, obstructing the sidewalk and parading June - Dr. King’s book Why We Can’t Wait with his father, of the Ebenezer Baptist without a permit. is published by Harper & Row. Church. 1962 Mid-June - Hundreds of volunteers, Feb. 17 - A warrant is issued for Dr. King’s Feb. 27 - Dr. King is tried and convicted for mostly white northern college arrest on charges that he falsified his leading the December march in Albany, students, arrive for what becomes 1956 and 1958 Alabama state income tax Ga. known as , a voter returns. registration project in Mississippi. Out of May 2 - Dr. King is invited to join the approximately 17,000 Black residents who April 15 - The Student Nonviolent protests in Birmingham, Ala., about the attempt to register to vote that summer, Coordinating Committee is founded to city’s segregation system. the applications of less than 10 percent coordinate student protests at Shaw are accepted, creating momentum for University in Raleigh, N.C., on a temporary July 27 - Dr. King is arrested in Albany, federal voting rights legislation. basis. The committee becomes a Ga., at a city hall prayer vigil and jailed on permanent organization in October 1960. charges of failure to obey a police officer, July 2 - Dr. King attends the signing of Dr. King and are the obstructing the sidewalk and disorderly the at the White keynote speakers at the Shaw University conduct. House, where the law was signed by U.S. founding ceremony. President Lyndon B. Johnson. Sept. 23 - Dr. King dedicates Mount May 28 - Dr. King is acquitted by an Hermon Baptist Church, the newly September - Dr. King and the Rev. Ralph all-white jury of the tax-evasion charge in constructed church of his uncle, the Rev. Abernathy visit West Berlin, , at Montgomery, Ala. Joel L. King, Sr., in Mansfield, Ohio. the invitation of Mayor Willy Brandt.

June 10 - Dr. King and A. Philip Randolph Oct. 16 - Dr. King meets with U.S. Sept. 18 - Dr. King has an audience with announce plans for picketing both the President John F. Kennedy at the White Pope Paul VI at the Vatican. Republican and Democratic National House for a one-hour conference. Conventions. Dec. 10 - Dr. King receives the Nobel 1963 Peace Prize in Oslo, Norway. At age 35, June 24 - Dr. King meets with U.S. March 28 - The King’s fourth child, Bernice he is the youngest person in history to presidential candidate John F. Kennedy Albertine, is born. receive the honor and the second African about issues pertaining to race. American. March to April - Sit-in demonstrations Oct. 19 to 27 - Eight months after lunch are held in Birmingham, Ala., to protest 1965 counter sit-ins begin in Greensboro, N.C., segregation of eating facilities. Dr. King is March 7 - Some 600 activists marching Dr. King and 51 other demonstrators are arrested. for voting rights in Alabama head east arrested during a sit-in while waiting to be out of Selma to Montgomery. After six served at an Atlanta restaurant. April 16 - Dr. King writes the “Letter From blocks they meet state and local law Birmingham Jail” while imprisoned for enforcement officials at the Edmund As other jailed demonstrators are demonstrating against the segregation of Pettus Bridge who attack them with billy released, Dr. King is held on a charge of eating facilities. clubs and tear gas, driving them back violating a probated sentence in a traffic into Selma. The day becomes known as arrest case. He is transferred to the June - Dr. King’s book Strength To Love is “Bloody Sunday.” DeKalb County Jail in Decatur, Ga., and published by Harper & Row. is then transferred to the Reidsville State March 9 - Dr. King leads a “symbolic” Prison on a $2,000 bond. Aug. 28 - The March on Washington march to the Bridge in He is released after presidential candidate for Jobs and Freedom, the first large, Selma, Ala. John F. Kennedy and his brother and integrated protest march, is held in campaign manager, Robert, intervene. Washington, D.C. Dr. King delivers his March 21 - The Selma-to-Montgomery “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps March sets off again. Protected by federal 1961 of the Lincoln Memorial. Afterward, he troops and lead by Dr. King, about 3,200 Jan. 30 - A third child, Dexter Scott, is born and other civil rights leaders meet with marchers set out from Selma. By the time to Dr. and Mrs. King in Atlanta, Ga. President Kennedy in the White House. they reach the capitol in Montgomery four days later they are 25,000-strong. A Chronology of the Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement (cont.)

July - Dr. King visits Chicago, Ill. SCLC April 4 - Dr. King makes a speech about 1970 joins with the Coordinating Council of the war in Vietnam, “Beyond Vietnam: Jan. 14 - Dr. King’s remains are Community Organizations, led by Al Raby, A Time to Break Silence,” at Riverside re-interred at the current King Center site. in the Chicago Project. Church in New York City. 1974 Aug. 6 - President Lyndon Johnson signs July 26 - Black leaders Dr. King, A. Philip June 30 - Alberta Williams King, mother the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Randolph, Roy Wilkins, and Whitney Young of Dr. King, is assassinated while playing appeal for an end to the riots, “which have the organ at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Oct. 10 - Dr. King speaks at a celebration proved ineffective and damaging to the Atlanta, Ga. at Mount Hermon Baptist Church in civil rights cause and the entire nation.” Mansfield, Ohio, honoring his uncle, the 1975 Rev. Joel L. King, Sr., for his fifth year of Oct. 30 - The Supreme Court upholds the Jan. 15 - The King Center dedicates Dr. service at the church. contempt-of-court convictions against Dr. King’s birth home. King and seven other Black leaders who 1966 led the 1963 marches in Birmingham, Ala. 1976 Jan. 22 - Dr. King moves into a Chicago Dr. King and his aides enter jail to serve Jan. 14 - The King Center dedicates the slum tenement to attract attention to the four-day sentences. Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Center. living conditions of the poor. Nov. 27 - Dr. King announces SCLC’s 1977 Feb. 23 - Dr. King meets with Elijah formation of the Poor People’s Campaign Jan. 15 - The King Center dedicates the Muhammad, leader of the Black Muslims, to focus on jobs and freedom for permanent entombment of Dr. King. in Chicago. economically disadvantaged people of all races. 1980 Spring - Dr. King tours Alabama to help October - The Martin Luther King, Jr. elect Black candidates. The Alabama 1968 National Historical Site is established primary election is held, and for the first March 28 - Dr. King leads 6,000 protesters in Atlanta. Site includes his birthplace, time since Reconstruction, Blacks vote in on a march through downtown Memphis, Ebenezer Church, and the King Center. significant numbers. Tenn., in support of striking sanitation workers. 1983 May 16 - Dr. King’s anti-war statement Jan. 18 - Following passage of Public Law is read at a large Washington, D.C., rally April 3 - Dr. King addresses a rally of 98-144, U.S. President to protest the war in Vietnam. Dr. King striking sanitation workers and their signs a proclamation declaring the third agrees to serve as a co-chairman of Clergy supporters in Memphis. He also delivers Monday in January of each year a public and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam. his last speech, titled “I’ve Been to the holiday in honor of the birthday of Dr. King. Mountaintop,” at the Memphis Masonic July 10 - Dr. King launches a drive to make Temple. Oct. 2 - The King Center initiates Gandhi Chicago an open city regarding housing, birthday observance and opens Gandhi which would enable Blacks to live in any April 4 - Dr. King is assassinated by a exhibit. neighborhood. single rifle shot to the head and neck. He was killed while standing on the balcony 1985 Aug. 5 - Dr. King is hit by rocks in of the Lorraine Hotel in Memphis. He had July - Coretta Scott King and three of her Chicago as he leads a march against left his room to greet visitors who had children are arrested protesting apartheid discrimination. assembled in the parking lot below. outside the South African embassy in Washington, D.C. Aug. 10 - Dr. King launches a campaign April 9 - Hundreds of thousands of people to end discrimination in housing, attend funeral services for Dr. King in 1986 employment and education in Chicago. Atlanta, Ga. Jan. 20 - First national celebration of Dr. King’s birthday as a holiday. 1967 1969 January - Dr. King writes his book Where July 21 - Alfred Daniel King, Dr. King’s 1999 Do We Go From Here? while in Jamaica. younger brother, is found drowned in his June 7 - New Hampshire Governor Jean swimming pool in Atlanta, Ga. Shaheen signs the legislation March 25 - Dr. King attacks the U.S. into law, completing enactment of the government’s Vietnam policy in a speech MLK holiday as a paid holiday in all 50 at the Chicago Coliseum. states. In New Hampshire, MLK Day Greensboro, N.C., to commemorate the Aug. 6 – Americans commemorate the replaces the optional Civil Rights Day. 50th anniversary of the F.W. Woolworth 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act sit-ins. The 43,000 square-foot museum of 1965. December - A jury in Memphis finds is located on the historic site where that a conspiracy existed between a bar four students from North Carolina A&T Sept. 24 – When speaking before a joint owner and others including governmental University protested at a whites-only lunch meeting of the U.S. Congress, Pope agencies in the of Dr. King. counter. Francis references Dr. King’s “dream,” saying, “That dream continues to inspire 2001 2011 us all.” Jan. 20 - Colin Powell is appointed U.S. Oct. 16 - The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Secretary of State by President George W. Memorial is dedicated at the National Mall 2016 Bush. He is the first African American to in Washington, D.C. The official address of Sept. 24 - The National Museum of African serve in the post. the monument, 1964 Independence Ave. American History and Culture opens near SW, commemorates the year the Civil the Washington Monument as part of 2006 Rights Act of 1964 became law. the Smithsonian Institution’s complex in Jan. 14 - Coretta Scott King makes the Washington, D.C. last speech of her life at the “Salute to 2012 Greatness” dinner. Nov. 6 - Barack Obama is re-elected to a 2017 second term as president of the United Aug. 19 - , comedian and civil Jan. 30 - Coretta Scott King passes States. rights activist who broke racial barriers in away from respiratory failure due to the 1960s with his satire, passes away complications after a stroke and cancer. 2013 at 84. June 24 - U.S. Supreme Court affirms Feb. 7 - Coretta Scott King first interred at the educational benefits of diversity on 2018 King Center. college and university campuses, allowing April 4 - The Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, institutions to continue considering Jr. Holiday Commission commemorates Nov. 17 - Dr. and Mrs. King are re-interred race and ethnicity as a factor in the the 50th anniversary of the assassination together in a private ceremony. admissions process as long as they of Dr. King in the Ohio Statehouse prove that “available, workable race- Atrium in Columbus. The commission, Nov. 20 - Dr. and Mrs. King are re-interred neutral alternatives do not suffice” before together with The King Center in Atlanta together in a public ceremony. considering race. and the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, asked for a moment of 2007 June 25 - U.S. Supreme Court rules that reflection that evening at 7:01 p.m. ET. May 15 - Yolanda Denise King, the oldest part of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 During this moment of national reflection, child of Dr. and Mrs. King, passes away is unconstitutional in its current form, churches were asked to toll bells 39 times at age 51. freeing nine states, mostly in the South, to mark the time, as well as Dr. King’s to change their election laws without prior age, when the assassination took place 50 2008 federal approval. years prior. May 25 - A daughter is born to Martin Luther King III and his wife, Arndrea. They Aug. 28 - “Let Freedom Ring” Bell-Ringing 2019 name her Yolanda after his late sister. Commemorations are held throughout the July 28 - 50th anniversary event held in nation to remember the 50th anniversary commemoration of death of Dr. King’s Nov. 4 - Barack Obama is elected president of the March on Washington, which younger brother, Alfred Daniel King, at of the United States. He will be the first culminated with Dr. King’s “I Have a Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga. African American president. Dream” speech. 2020 2009 Dec. 5 - Anti-apartheid activist and former July 17 - Congressman John Robert Jan. 20 - Barack Obama is sworn in as the South African President Nelson Mandela Lewis, civil rights icon, passes away at 44th president of the United States. passes away at age 95. age 80.

Oct. 29 - , youngest daughter 2014 July 17 - Cordy Tindell Vivian, 2013 of Dr. and Mrs. King, is elected president July 2 - The 50th anniversary of the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient of the Southern Christian Leadership signing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is and civil rights icon, passes away at age Conference, a post once held by her commemorated. 95. late father and her brother Martin Luther King III. 2015 Nov. 3 - Kamala Harris becomes the first April 27 – Loretta E. Lynch is sworn in as woman, first Black, and first person of 2010 the 83rd Attorney General of the United South Asian descent to be elected U.S. Feb. 1 - The International Civil Rights States. She is the first African American vice president. Center and Museum opens in woman to serve in the post. Ohio Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Era photos This calendar was produced Holiday Commission courtesy of the by the Ohio Dr. Martin Luther Library of Congress. King, Jr. Holiday Commission McKinley Brown, Chair with assistance from the Rev. Joel L. King, Jr., Vice Chair The MLK Calendar Equal Opportunity Division Napoleon A. Bell II Committee welcomes your and Office of Communications Paul M. Booth suggestions and feedback. of the Ohio Department of Kacy Bullard To contact the committee, Administrative Services, Senator Hearcel F. Craig please call 614-466-8380. which provides administrative support to the commission. David Jehnsen Visit us on Facebook at Efforts have been made to Jeffrey L. Johnson facebook.com/ohiomlkcommission. ensure the accuracy of the Will Lucas For more information, visit information in the calendar; Elizabeth Blount McCormick das.ohio.gov/mlk. however, dates for some Christina Rodriguez holidays may vary. Tracey Winbush