It was first proposed four days after King’s 1968 assassination outside a Memphis motel. It took 15 years until it became a federal holiday.

Here’s what to know about Martin Luther King Jr., why we celebrate his impact each year and when MLK Day is in 2025.

In an interview published by NPR’s Book of the Day podcast on Jan. 3, writer Jonathan Eig, who authored the biography 'King: A Life,' said that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was "a protest leader who really does not like conflict.