New Resources: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, January 18, 2016
January 18 is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a federal holiday designated by Congress in 1994 as a national day of service. First established in 1983 after a long struggle, the holiday falls on the third Monday of January, close to King’s birthday; King was born on January 15, 1929. The Corporation for National and Community Service (a federal agency) Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service website contains service projects, lesson plans, and other resources for observing Martin Luher King, Jr. Day.
The Georgia State University Library has many resources for learning more about Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life, work, and impact. Newer resources include:
Books
- W. Jason Miller, Origins of the Dream: Hughes’ Poetry and King’s Rhetoric (2015)
- Tavis Smiley with David Ritz, Death of a King: The Real Story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Final Year (2014)
- David L. Chappell, Waking from the Dream: The Struggle for Civil Rights in the Shadow of Martin Luther King, Jr. (2014)
- Rufus Burrow, Jr., Extremist for Love: Martin Luther King., Man of Ideas and Nonviolent Social Action (2014)
- Trudier Harris, Martin Luther King Jr., Heroism, and African American Literature (2014)
- Jennifer J. Yanco, Misremembering Dr. King: Revisiting the Legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. (2014)
- Daniel S. Lucks, Selma to Saigon: The Civil Rights Movement and the Civil War (2014)
Films
- The multi-part PBS documentary Eyes on the Prize is available for viewing in the Films on Demand database (GSU affiliates only).
- Selma (2015)
Primary Sources
- Martin Luther King, Jr., The Radical King (2015; selection of King’s writings, ed. Cornel West)
- History Vault (GSU affiliates only; many collections relating to the Civil Rights Movement, including selected NAACP Papers)
- Civil Rights Digital Library (freely available)
- The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change (King Center)
- Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site
Looking for more? The GSU Library has many other resources by and about King.
- To find resources by King in our library type “King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968″ into the search box on the Catalog tab or the Advanced Discover Search box, and select “Author” from the dropdown menu.
- To find resources about King, try the same search, but select “Subject” from the dropdown menu.
Please note that the GSU Library will be closed on January 18 in observation of this holiday.