Each year, the United States sets aside the third Monday in January, closest to King's birthday (born January 15th, 1929) to remember the life and work of legendary civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As the chief spokesperson for the Civil Rights Movement, he dedicated his life to nonviolent activism against racial discrimination in federal and state law.
King's life ended abruptly when he was assassinated in 1968, but he left behind a generation of leaders who continued fighting for equal rights. Today, many people spend Martin Luther King Jr. Day volunteering in their communities and reflecting on the ideas King stood for. Many also teach about the civil rights activist in their classrooms. For more resources on teaching about the impacts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., explore PBS LearningMedia's American Icons lesson plan, where students will watch a short video and engage in two primary source activities.
PBS NC commemorates Martin Luther King Jr. Day with special programs honoring King's legacy and delving into his impact and the history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Did you know Martin Luther King Jr Day wasn’t celebrated in all 50 states until 2000? And that in order to create the holiday honoring the civil rights leader we needed help from Stevie Wonder and the National Football League. Why was this the case? Well MLK Jr, wasn’t beloved by everyone during his life and winning the battle to create a holiday in his honor took a lot of work. How did it happen?
Watch "How Did Martin Luther King Jr. Get a Holiday?" from the PBS Digital Studios series The Origin of Everything, streaming now on the PBS app.
Two high school classmates from 1965—Jimmie, a Black football star, and De, a white student who respected him from afar—reunite 50 years later after a discovery linking their families changes their lives forever. This personal yet profoundly American story reveals the legacy of slavery, the complexities of race and privilege, and the power of truth in their journey toward healing.
Watch A Binding Truth, streaming now on the PBS app.
Henry Louis Gates, Jr. embarks on a deeply personal journey through the last fifty years of African American history. Joined by leading scholars, celebrities, and a dynamic cast of people who shaped these years, Gates travels from the victories of the civil rights movement up to today, asking profound questions about the state.
Watch Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise, streaming now on the PBS app.
In the late 1960s, many young black activists saw Dr. King as out of touch.
Explore the life and legacy of the nation’s first African American Supreme Court justice. The film follows Justice Marshall, known as “Mr. Civil Rights,” from his legal career with the NAACP to his 1967 appointment to the nation’s highest court.
Watch Becoming Thurgood: America’s Social Architect, streaming now on the PBS app with PBS NC Passport.
A timeline of Thurgood Marshall’s work and legacy from lawyer to U.S. Supreme Court Justice that earned him the nickname "Mr. Civil Rights."
Learn how a rural community in Warren County, North Carolina, mobilized to fight plans to place a toxic landfill in their county. This landmark action, the first to articulate the concepts of environmental racism and environmental justice, brought together civil rights activists and environmentalists to fight for a common goal.
Watch Our Movement Starts Here, streaming now on the PBS app.
The civil rights movement was set in motion by activists of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. While some of its leaders are familiar, Walter White—NAACP head from 1929 to 1955 and one of America’s most influential Black men—has been all but forgotten. This film traces the fascinating and complex life of this neglected civil rights hero.
Watch “Forgotten Hero: Walter White and the NAACP" from American Experience, streaming now on the PBS app.
In the early 1900s, North Carolina and other Southern states largely ignored their responsibility to provide education for rural Black children. Learn how educator Booker T. Washington and philanthropist Julius Rosenwald hatched a plan that broke Jim Crow’s grip on funding for Black schools. The results helped change the South and the nation, one student at a time.
Watch Unlocking the Doors of Opportunity: Rosenwald Schools of NC, streaming now on the PBS app.
Elmo and his friends are making a Peace Tree to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. They each draw pictures on leaves to show how they will carry on Dr. King’s wish by treating people fairly and kindly, but Elmo doesn’t know what to draw. With Tamir’s help, Elmo finds the perfect thing to draw on his leaf and complete the tree.
Watch Sesame Street, streaming now on PBSKIDS.org and on the PBS KIDS Video app.
PBS KIDS for Parents
Children’s books about Dr. King, ordinary people who stand up for what’s right, and stories about helping others and giving back.
PBS LearningMedia
Explore educational materials from the series "Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise."
PBS News Hour Classroom
Use PBS News Hour Classroom resources to examine King's impact on civil rights and his ongoing legacy.
PBS LearningMedia
Watch a short video and engage in two primary source activities to explore how King contributed to the expansion of social justice in the United States, particularly for African Americans.
