Martin Luther King, Jr. Day : making of a holiday

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Summary

Paying lip service to Dr. King's message is one thing, creating a national holiday is quite another. This is the story of how Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday became a national holiday-of the un...

Paying lip service to Dr. King's message is one thing, creating a national holiday is quite another. This is the story of how Martin Luther King, Jr.'s, birthday became a national holiday-of the unrelenting drive of his widow, Coretta Scott King, to carry on his work; of politicians (especially Representative John Conyers, Jr.) determined to memorialize Dr. King and offer hope as the alternative to black rage at his assassination; of the ultimately silly arguments against the holiday (such as the economic cost of lost man-hours of work) Rare documentary footage and interviews follow the chronology of events, while the participation of Stevie Wonder, Bill Cosby, Harry Belafonte, Diana Ross, and host LeVar Burton provides the program with genuine celebration. From King's "I Have a Dream" speech to Stevie Wonder's "Happy Birthday, Martin," this is an engaging look at the making of a holiday.

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