A Day of Service: Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. With Civil Action
January 15, 2026
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day or MLK Day, is celebrated on the third Monday of January to honor him and his legacy. But the federal holiday is also meant to be a day of service, where volunteers get out and work in their communities. By making a positive difference in their own neighborhoods, volunteers honor King’s dream of systemic change through community action.
The History of MLK Day
To honor MLK’s legacy, the federal government shuts down on the third Monday of every January. This year, that day is January 19, 2026. It is meant to fall around King’s birthday, which was January 15, 1929. According to Coretta Scott King, the late wife of MLK: “The greatest birthday gift my husband could receive is if people of all racial and ethnic backgrounds celebrated the holiday by performing individual acts of kindness through service to others,”
The campaign for King’s holiday began just four days after he was assassinated, but legislation to honor him took years. In November of 1983, Ronald Reagan signed a bill making the third Monday in January a federal holiday in observance of King’s influence on Civil Rights. The holiday was first observed in 1986, nearly 20 years after MLK’s passing.
According to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History & Culture, every American is encouraged to volunteer on this day.
MLK’s Influence on Civil Rights
Martin Luther King Jr. was a Baptist minister and civil rights leader who championed equality through nonviolent protest. He rose to national prominence during the 1955–56 Montgomery Bus Boycott, which led to a Supreme Court ruling ending segregated bus seating and demonstrated the power of peaceful resistance. Despite surviving an assassination attempt in 1958, King continued organizing and speaking worldwide.
In 1963, he helped lead the March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, a defining moment that helped advance the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. His leadership in the 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery marches contributed to the Voting Rights Act. In 1968, while supporting sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, King was assassinated, prompting national mourning.
Giving Back
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is the only federal holiday that is designated as a national day of service. All Americans are encouraged to get out into their communities and do what they can to help their neighbors. On this day, most national parks host a variety of service projects that people can sign up for. To find an event in your area, visit the National Park Service for more information on volunteering. Here are four other meaningful ways to give back on MLK Day of Service, rooted in Dr. King’s call to action:
- Volunteer locally, in person. Spend a few hours with a food pantry, shelter, or community center. Many organizations host MLK Day service events, but you can also show up to help year-round.
- Support an organization doing long-term work. Donate funds, supplies, or professional skills to nonprofits focused on education, housing stability, civil rights, or health equity. One-time gifts matter, but ongoing support matters more.
- Serve through your skills. Offer what you know. Help a nonprofit with writing, design, tutoring, tax prep, technology setup, or translation. Skilled volunteering can remove real barriers for small organizations.
- Commit to civic participation. Register to vote, help someone else register, attend a local council or school board meeting, or learn about a policy issue affecting your community. Service also means staying engaged beyond a single day.
Finding ways to give back doesn’t have to be a once-a-year event. “The time is always right to do what is right,” said MLK. At the beginning of 2026, let MLK’s legacy inspire you to do the right thing all year long. With Insureyouknow.org, you can keep track of your civic projects, volunteer hours, and donations made to the causes of your choosing.