VOA慢速英语：马丁路德金纪念日:庆祝和平的节日
听力内容：
MLK Day: The Fight for a Holiday to Celebrate Peace
In 1968, American civil rights activist Martin LutherKing, Jr. was shot and killed outside his motel room. Four days later, acongressman proposed a federal holiday honoring King. It was to be a holidaycelebrating peace.
Who could object to such a proposal?
Many people, it turned out. The struggle to approveMartin Luther King Day took more than 15 years. And it ended with a veryunlikely lawmaker: Ronald Reagan, one of America's most conservativepresidents.
Objections to the King holiday
In King's famous 1963 speech in Washington, D.C., hedescribed his dream for racial unity in the United States. In one line, Kingsaid he hoped “little black boys and black girls will be able to join handswith little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.”
The speech helped create King's public image as a seekerof justice and equality. He based the movement on non-violent resistance,leading large peaceful protests.
Among other things, King's activism helped end laws thatseparated black and white Americans.
But people who objected to King's message – or to Kinghimself –called him a troublemaker, communist and racist. For years after hisdeath, most lawmakers would not consider a proposed bill to make King'sbirthday a federal holiday.
Finally, in 1979, after ten years of petitions frommillions of citizens, lawmakers discussed the idea of a King holiday in anofficial hearing.
Author David Chappell writes about some of the objectionsin his book “Waking from the Dream.”
Chappell reports that one opponent said King usedpeaceful protests to make others so angry they had to react violently.
Another claimed communist groups were often asked toraise money for King.
A third asserted that King wanted government programs tosupport blacks over whites.
And many opponents questioned whether King deserved thesame respect as George Washington, the nation's first president who is honoredwith a federal holiday.
The bill did not pass.
But wait, how about…?
Some lawmakers proposed alternative ideas. How about astatue of King in the Capitol building? While the Capitol included more than600 works of art at the end of the 1970s, only two featured black Americans.
Others suggested a day somewhat less than a federalholiday. Why not a “commemoration” of King's birthday on the third Sunday ofJanuary? A more informal Sunday commemoration cost less than giving federalworkers a paid weekday off, they said.
King holiday supporters agreed to a statue of King in theCapitol. But they insisted that the civil rights leader also deserved the fullrespect of a national holiday.
One supporter, musician Steven Wonder, even released ahit song celebrating King's work and criticizing those who opposed a holiday.The song was called “Happy Birthday.”
Two years later, Wonder – along with King's widow,Coretta Scott King – presented Congress with the signatures of more than 6million people supporting the King Holiday.
Another vote
In 1983, the U.S. House of Representatives and Senateofficially discussed the King holiday again. The timing was surprising becauseconservative Republican Party candidate Ronald Reagan had recently been electedpresident. His party also controlled the Senate. Reagan had said publicly hedid not support the King holiday proposal.
In addition, the U.S. economy was struggling. Lawmakerswere reluctant to agree to the cost of another holiday.
But American culture had also changed. Author DavidChappell says that in the early 1980s, the arguments against King were not aseffective as they once were. Many voters no longer responded positively toopponents' charges that King incited violence, was linked to communists, orsupported racial division.
Even some conservative lawmakers – especially those withlarge African-American populations in their districts – had slowly changedtheir position on the issue.
By the end of that year, the bill establishing the Kingholiday passed both the House and the Senate. It went to the president to sign.
Reagan and King
Earlier in his career, Reagan had praised King. In the1960s, the future president had called King “a great leader and teacher.”Reagan had said King symbolized “courage, sacrifice, and the tireless pursuitof justice.”
Two years into his presidency, Reagan's respect for Kingseemed to have returned. In January of 1983, Reagan noted that he and King didnot share political philosophies. But, Reagan said, the two men shared “a deepbelief in freedom and justice under God.”
Several months later, Reagan communicated his support fora day honoring King—although, he did not say exactly why he changed his mind.
On November 2, 1983, Ronald Reagan signed the legislationestablishing the third Monday of every January as the Martin Luther King, Jr.Holiday.
Even though the holiday rarely falls on King's actualbirthday—January 15—it permits public school students and federal workers athree-day weekend to relax, spend time with loved ones, or perform communityservice.
One final note…
As the bill described, the federal government begancelebrating the holiday in 1986. Most states extended the holiday to otherworkers and students.
But several states declined to dedicate the day only toKing. New Hampshire combined it with Civil Rights Day. Utah and Idaho combinedit with Human Rights Day.
Arizona chose not to recognize the day at all, untiltourists boycotted the state and the National Football League refused to playthe Super Bowl there.
And some Southern states honored American Civil Wargenerals alongside King. The birthday of Robert E. Lee, a Confederate generalwho fought for states' rights to maintain African-American slavery, is January19. Lee's cause lost in the Civil War, but some states remember him with aholiday.
One of them, Virginia, celebrated General Lee, fellowConfederate general Stonewall Jackson, and Martin Luther King, Jr. all on thesame occasion: Lee-Jackson-King Day.
In 2000, the Virginia governor succeeded in separatingthe events. The Confederate generals are remembered on a Friday. King ishonored three days later.
I'm Marsha James.
And I'm Rick Hindman.
Kelly Jean Kelly wrote this story for Learning English.Caty Weaver was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in theComments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.
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Words in This Story
petition – n. a written document that people sign to showthat they want a person or organization to do or change something
assert – v. to state (something) in a strong and definiteway
commemoration – n. something (such as a special ceremony)that is intended to honor an important event or person from the past
signatures – n. a person's name written in that person'shandwriting
boycott – v. to refuse to buy, use, or participate in(something) as a way of protesting
fellow – adj. used to describe people who belong to thesame group or class or who share a situation, experience, etc.