ELEVEN YEARS BEFORE IT CAME TO BE (CIVIL RIGHTS.) KING, MARTIN LUTHER, JR. Observe Martin Luther King Day Jan. 14, 1972. Offset poster, 22x14 inches, black on heavy orange cardstock; closed 2-1/2 inches tear to right blank margin; a few stains and pinholes where hung. Np, signed "JL" in the print, 1972
An unusual early poster advocating a national holiday to honor the slain civil rights leader. The campaign for a federal holiday in King's honor began soon after his assassination. Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed in 1986. At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays. It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.
