Martin Luther King Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States marking the birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. It is observed on the third Monday of January each year. Born in 1929,King's actual birthday is January 15. The holiday is similar to holidays set under the Uniform Monday Holiday Act. The earliest Monday for this holiday is January 15 and the latest is January 21.
Wellington E. Webb is an American politician. He served in the Colorado House of Representatives and was the first African American mayor of Denver,Colorado,serving from 1991 to 2003.
According to the 2010 Census,the racial makeup of Denver is 68.9% White,10.2% Black or African American,3.4% Asian,1.4% American Indian or Native Alaskan,0.1% Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian,and 4.1% two or more races,with 31.8% of Hispanic or Latino origin.
Rachel Bassette Noel was an American educator,politician and civil rights leader in Denver,Colorado. She is known for the "Noel Resolution",a 1968 plan to integrate the Denver city school district,and her work to implement that plan,as well as other work on civil rights. When elected to the Denver Public Schools Board of Education in 1965,Noel was the first African-American woman elected to public office in Colorado. In 1996,Noel was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame.
Albert Ely Edwards was an American politician who served in the Texas Legislature representing District 146. He is best known as the principal proponent of the Juneteenth Texas state holiday,approved in 2007,which in 2021 became a federal holiday. Edwards served on three of the most influential Committees. Edwards was the Chairman of the Rules and Resolutions Committee,Chairman of Budget and Oversight of the Ways and Means Committee and a member of the Appropriations Committee.
Katie Beatrice Hall was an American educator in Gary,Indiana,and a politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1982 to 1985. When Hall was sworn into federal office on November 2,1982,she became the first black woman from Indiana elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Hall represented Indiana's 1st Congressional District in the final months of the 97th Congress and an entire two-year term in the 98th Congress from 1983 to 1985. She is best known for sponsoring legislation and leading efforts on the floor of the U.S. House in 1983 to make Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday a national holiday after previous efforts had failed. H.R. 3706 to establish the third Monday in January as a federal holiday in King's honor was introduced in July 1983 and passed in the House on August 2,1983. President Ronald Reagan signed the bill into law on November 2,1983.
Debbie Stafford is a Colorado legislator. First appointed to the Colorado House of Representatives as a Republican in 2000,Stafford was elected four times to represent House District 40,which encompasses Elbert County and rural Arapahoe County east of Aurora,Colorado. Noted for her work on animal welfare and children's issues,Stafford left the Republican caucus and joined the Democratic Party in October 2007.
Amy Stephens is a Principal in Public Policy and Regulation Practice at Dentons,a multinational law firm;previously,she served as Colorado House Majority Leader and House Minority Caucus Chairman in the Colorado House of Representatives.
Cherylin Naylor Peniston is a former legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A career public school teacher,Peniston was first elected as a Democrat in 2006 to the Colorado House of Representatives. She represented House District 35,which encompasses most of Westminster,Colorado and portions of Arvada. Term limited,she did not seek re-election in 2014.
Sara Elizabeth Gagliardi was a legislator in the U.S. state of Colorado. A career nurse,Gagliardi was first elected as a Democrat in 2006 to the Colorado House of Representatives. She represented House District 27,which encompasses most of Arvada,Colorado,until her defeat in the 2010 election by Republican Libby Szabo. During her time with the House of Representatives,Gagliardi served as vice-chair for two legislative committees and successfully carried 22 bills into law,predominantly on health care,state services and education,and state fiscal issues. Following the recall attempt and subsequent resignation of Senator Evie Hudak in November 2013,Gagliardi announced her intention to be appointed to the office by the Democratic vacancy committee. The committee ultimately appointed Rachel Zenzinger.
Frances (Fran) Natividad Coleman is an American politician. She is a former elected state representative from Colorado. A Democrat,she represented House District 1 in Southwest Denver from 1998 to 2006.
Rhonda Marshall Fields is a Democratic politician from Colorado. She represents District 28 in the Colorado Senate. During the 2020 reapportionment process,Buckner's residence moved from senate district 29 to senate district 28. Earlier,she represented District 29 from January 2017 to January 2023. Previously,she served as member of the Colorado State House of Representatives representing District 42 from Aurora,Colorado. She was the first African American woman elected in State House District 42,as well as the first Speaker pro Tempore.
Elinor "Ellie" Miller Greenberg was an American author educationalist and speech pathologist,an expert in the field of adult education and experiential learning,as well as a former civil rights activist. She saw access to education as a social justice issue,and spent over thirty years creating higher education programs for non-traditional students. She headed the University Without Walls program in the 1970s;created a weekend BSN program for nurses in rural Colorado;established a degree program for Colorado prison inmates and ex-offenders;and established online master's degree programs for nurses in the 1990s. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2010.
Margaret Buckner Young was an American educator and author.
Virginia H. Fraser was an American activist for human rights,women's rights,and elder rights. She was the Long-Term Care Ombudsman for the state of Colorado for more than two decades. She co-wrote several works on nursing home care and eldercare. She was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2002.
Arlene Hirschfeld is an American community activist. Since the 1980s,she has served on the board of trustees of numerous Denver and Colorado state organizations,working in advisory,leadership,and fundraising capacities. The recipient of numerous awards,she was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame in 2006.
A United States federal statute honoring Martin Luther King Jr. and his work in the civil rights movement with a federal holiday was enacted by the 98th United States Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on November 2,1983,creating Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The final vote in the House of Representatives on August 2,1983,was 338–90 with 5 members voting present or abstaining,while the final vote in the Senate on October 19,1983,was 78–22,both veto-proof margins.
Ruth Cousins Denny was a Black educator and civil rights activist in Denver,Colorado. Denny dedicated her life to combating racial injustice and educating young people. Denny was a founding member of the Denver chapter of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and led direct actions around Denver.
Edna Wilson-Mosley was a prominent politician,civil rights activist,and educator in Denver and Aurora,Colorado. Wilson-Mosley was a civil rights specialist for Colorado’s Civil Rights Commission. She was the only Black founder of Women's Bank and served on the Board of Directors. She was married to John Mosley,a highly respected and original Tuskegee Airman.
Elbra Mae Wedgeworth is a civil servant in Denver,Colorado. Wedgeworth is the only person in recent history to hold positions in all three branches of Denver's city government.
