Today is one of those days when two major events coincide.
This year, on Monday, Jan. 20, we officially commemorate the birth of Civil Rights leader and icon the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK Day, as it has become known, is a federal holiday across the United States, celebrated under the Monday holiday law on the third Monday of January each year.
This day also is the day every four years when the person elected president last November is sworn into the country’s highest office.
The last time MLK Day and the presidential inauguration were on the same day was Jan. 20, 1997, when President Bill Clinton took his second oath of office.
Differing takes on MLK Day 2025: Today’s dual events, with Dr. King being celebrated at the same time Donald J. Trump is sworn in for his second, non-consecutive term as commander in chief, is for many a bit disconcerting.
They Trump’s core philosophy and practices of profit, nativism, and rejection of inclusion as the opposite of Dr. King’s commitment to nonviolent resistance to champion desegregation, voting and labor rights, and other issues in the fight for racial equality.
One of Dr. King’s colleagues, however, has a more generous assessment.
“It’s almost a Godsend,” the Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II, who will mark the day from the pulpit of Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta where Dr. King once preached, told the New York Times. “There can be a juxtapositioning of vision.”
Celebrating Dr. King: Since we’ve all been through the prior Trump administration and subsequent elections, I won’t dwell on those lessons, learned or not. Instead, on this year’s holiday, I prefer to focus on Dr. King.
And since it is a federal holiday, I’m turning to a preeminent federal treasure, the Smithsonian Institution. The various Smithsonian facilities have a trove of King memorabilia.
If you live in the Washington, D.C., area, after you honor Dr. King's legacy today by participating in today’s National Day of Service in your community, learn more about his story and impact on the civil rights movement via the objects and photographs related to Dr. King’s legacy from across the Smithsonian’s collections.
Examples include five surprising facts about Dr. King's life and advocacy; artwork, like artist L'Merchie Frazier’s quilt From a Birmingham Jail: MLK, inspired by Dr. King; the history of the MLK Day holiday; and, of course, Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and how parts pf that inspirational delivery were improvised, including the famous title line.
You can, of course, see much of this as noted by the links above digitally. But as a former D.C. and suburban Maryland resident for almost two decades, I promise you that in-person, and beyond the Air and Space Museum, is much better.
So if you don’t live in the National Capital area, plan a visit to see not only the Dr. King material, but all the other Smithsonian offerings.
Finally, I’ll close with some of my prior year MLK posts, on his holiday and other days, too.
- Dr. King's fights against injustice included a state tax battle (2024)
- A look at racial bias in the U.S. tax code on MLK Day (2023)
- Celebrating MLK Day 2021 in a time of tumult (2021)
- Celebrating service, education & tax breaks on MLK Day (2020)
- MLK Day: Make a difference in the world and possibly on your tax return (2018)
- Your MLK Day volunteer time is not tax deductible, but some related contributions might be (2017)
- Finding a charity to volunteer with on MLK Day (2016)
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day lessons via "Selma" & "Glory" (2015)
- IRS abuse of power, now and in MLK's day (2014)
- Remembering Martin Luther King's legacy and tax trial (2013)
Advertisements
🌟 Search Amazon Tax Products 🌟
The text link above is an affiliate ad. If you click through and then buy a product, I receive a commission.
