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SUBJ/2011 DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY OBSERVANCE//

RMKS/1.  THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. NATIONAL DAY OF OBSERVANCE 
WILL BE HELD 17 JANUARY 2011.  

2.  DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY WAS ESTABLISHED BY PRESIDENT RONALD
REAGAN IN 1983, AND THE FIRST OFFICIAL OBSERVANCE WAS HELD 15 JANUARY 
1986, THE ANNIVERSARY OF DR. KING'S BIRTHDAY.  IN 1992, PRESIDENT GEORGE
H. W. BUSH PROCLAIMED THE FEDERAL HOLIDAY WOULD BE OBSERVED ON THE THIRD 
MONDAY OF JANUARY.  ON THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE NATIONAL OBSERVANCE, 
THIS DAY IS A TIME FOR ALL AMERICANS TO HONOR THE LEGACY OF A POWERFUL 
CIVIL RIGHTS LEADER WHO BROUGHT CHANGE THROUGH NONVIOLENT PROTEST, AND 
IT 
IS A TIME TO REFLECT ON THE PRINCIPLES OF EQUALITY AND CIVIL RIGHTS THAT 
DR. KING CHAMPIONED.

3.  DR. KING CHALLENGED OUR NATION TO RECOGNIZE THAT OUR INDIVIDUAL 
LIBERTY RELIES UPON OUR COMMON EQUALITY.  THROUGH THE RECURRING THEME OF 
THIS OBSERVANCE, "REMEMBER! CELEBRATE! ACT! A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF," WE 
ARE REMINDED OF THE STRENGTH OF DR. KING'S LEADERSHIP AND ARE EMPOWERED 
TO TRANSFORM HIS LIFE AND TEACHINGS INTO SERVICE.  IN 1994, CONGRESS 
DESIGNATED THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. FEDERAL HOLIDAY AS A NATIONAL 
DAY OF SERVICE, AND TODAY IS THE ONLY FEDERAL HOLIDAY OBSERVED AS SUCH.  
MORE INFORMATION ON THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. DAY OF SERVICE CAN 
BE 
FOUND AT HTTP://MLKDAY.GOV/.  THROUGH OUR DEDICATED SERVICE, AT HOME AND 
AROUND THE WORLD, WE HONOR DR. KING'S LEGACY AND REAFFIRM OUR COMMON 
HUMANITY.

4.  ALL COMMANDS ARE STRONGLY ENCOURAGED TO INCREASE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND 
AWARENESS OF DR. KING'S CONTRIBUTIONS TO AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVIL 
RIGHTS THROUGH PROGRAMS, EXHIBITS, PUBLICATIONS, AND PARTICIPATION IN 
MILITARY AND COMMUNITY EVENTS.  A PRESENTATION IS AVAILABLE ON THE 
DEFENSE EQUAL 
OPPORTUNITY MANAGEMENT INSTITUTE WEB SITE AT 
HTTP://WWW.DEOMI.ORG/SPECIALOBSERVANCE/PRESENTATIONS.CFM?CATID=1.  
MORE INFORMATION ON THE MOREHOUSE COLLEGE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 
COLLECTION, WHICH HOUSES MORE THAN 10,000 ITEMS FROM DR. KING'S LIFE AND 
WORK FROM 1944 TO 1968, CAN BE FOUND AT 
HTTP://WWW.MOREHOUSE.EDU/KINGCOLLECTION/ AND 
HTTP://WWW.AUCTR.EDU/MLKCOLLECTION/.  
INDIVIDUALS CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. 
NATIONAL MEMORIAL AT THE NATIONAL MALL IN WASHINGTON, DC, AT 
HTTP://WWW.MLKMEMORIAL.ORG/.  
THE MONUMENT, WHICH WILL SERVE AS A PLACE OF REFLECTION ON DR. KING'S 
LIFE AND HIS VISION OF SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR ALL IS SCHEDULED TO OPEN IN 
AUGUST 2011. 

5.  MORE INFORMATION ON DIVERSITY CONFERENCES, EVENTS, AND OBSERVANCES 
IS 
AVAILABLE AT THE NAVY DIVERSITY WEB SITE: 
WWW.NPC.NAVY.MIL/COMMANDSUPPORT/DIVERSITY.    

6.  POINT OF CONTACT IS LT LAURA STEGHERR, OPNAV N134, AT (703) 695-
0820/DSN 225 OR VIA E-MAIL AT LAURA.STEGHERR@NAVY.MIL.

7.  RELEASED BY ADMIRAL G. ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.//

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