ATLANTA - Monday is a federal holiday where we remember the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Taking place in Atlanta will be the annual MLK, Jr. Beloved Community Commemorative Service, the culmination of a series of community outreach events honoring the civil rights leader.
FOX 5 Atlanta is proud to once again to partner with The King Center to broadcast and livestream this event. Here's how you can watch.
CIRCA 1966: Civil rights leader Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivers a sermon in circa 1966. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)
How to watch the MLK Day Service LIVE
What to know:
As in years past, there are several ways to watch the MLK Day Service live:
- Download the FOX LOCAL app for your Smart TV or phone
- Stream it live on FOX5Atlanta.com
- Join our community on Facebook, YouTube or TikTok where you can leave comments in real-time
When is the MLK Day Service taking place?
What to know:
This year's keynote speaker is Rev. A. R. Bernard, Sr., founder and chairperson of the Christian Cultural Center Global.
- Service is Monday, Jan. 19, 2026
- Service begins at 10 a.m. ET
- Takes place at Atlanta's Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church
Why do we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day?
The backstory:
MLK Day is a federal holiday that celebrates the birth of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and encourages the world to reflect on the issues of racism and civil rights.
Widely regarded as one of the greatest nonviolent leaders in history, King spearheaded the Civil Rights Movement from the mid-1950s until his assassination in 1968. He was the driving force behind landmark events like the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the March on Washington.
FILE - Martin Luther King, Jr., close-up during a speech, circa the 1960s. ( Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
MARTA HONORS KING FAMILY LEGACY WITH DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING JR., CORETTA SCOTT KING BUS
MLK Day is always celebrated on the third Monday in January, meaning it may not always land on King's actual birthday, Jan. 15. In fact, it won't happen again until 2029.
When did MLK Day become a holiday?
Timeline:
Dr. King's birthday was finally made a federal holiday in 1983, but it wasn't until 2000 that all 50 states fully recognized it.
In 1968, Michigan Rep. John Conyers introduced the first motion to make King's birthday a federal holiday four days after he was assassinated in Memphis. He would bring it up every year in every legislative session until 1983.
Illinois became the first state to adopt MLK Day as a state holiday in 1973. Other states, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and New Jersey followed suit, enacting their own statewide holidays during this time.
It took 11 years from Conyers' initial motion before it was finally brought to a vote in the House of Representatives in 1979.
The bill failed to pass by just five votes: 252-133.
MLK DAY TIMELINE: HOW THE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. BIRTHDAY BECAME A HOLIDAY
Eventually, celebrities joined the fight. In 1981, Stevie Wonder released his soulful remix of "Happy Birthday," making it the anthem for the movement and a crowd favorite that lives on today.
In 1983, the House took up the bill again, passing it by 53 votes.
Despite an attempt from Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina to paint King as a communist, the bill was also passed in the Senate by 12 votes.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. speaks before crowd of 25,000 in front of the state capital building on March 25, 1965 in Montgomery, Alabama. (Photo by Stephen F. Somerstein/Getty Images)
President Ronald Reagan signed legislation declaring every third Monday in January to be a federal holiday honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. and his service to the U.S.
The first national celebration of MLK Day took place on Jan. 20, 1986.
Despite the legislation, individual states continued to resist passing a state holiday, especially Arizona. In 1987, Arizona Gov. Evan Mecham rescinded MLK Day as his first act in office. Many entertainers and organizations began to boycott the state. The NFL even moved the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix to Pasadena, costing Arizona millions in lost revenue.
In 1992, Arizona's citizens voted to enact MLK Day. The Super Bowl was brought back to them in 1996.
By 1993, MLK Day was celebrated in some form, sometimes even under a different name, in all 50 states. However, it wasn't until 1999 that New Hampshire became the last state to adopt it as a paid state holiday, replacing its optional "Civil Rights Day."
In 2000, Utah brought up the rear as the last state to recognize MLK Day by name, replacing "Human Rights Day."
"The Stone of Hope" statue is seen at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on August 28, 2014 in Washington, DC. AFP PHOTO/Mandel NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
To this day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor.
How old would Dr. Martin Luther King be in 2025?
If Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. were still alive in 2025, he would have turned 96 on Jan. 15.
When did Dr. Martin Luther King deliver his famous ‘I Have a Dream' speech?
King delivered his famous "I Have A Dream" speech during the March on Washington on Aug. 28, 1963.
American civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) addresses a crowd at the March On Washington D.C, 28th August 1963. (Photo by CNP/Getty Images)
The march was organized in support of the Civil Rights Act, which made segregation, "Jim Crow Laws" and discrimination based on race, religion, gender or nationality illegal.
When did Dr. Martin Luther King receive the Nobel Peace Prize?
Martin Luther King, Jr. was 35 years old when he became the youngest person to win the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. The committee said he was recognized "for his non-violent struggle for civil rights for the Afro-American population."
Why was Atlanta important to Martin Luther King, Jr.?
Local perspective:
Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta in 1929, but his family's deep roots in the state began long before.
King's maternal great-grandfather, Willis Williams, is said to have attended Shiloh Baptist Church in Greene County, Georgia in 1846. He and his wife Lucrecia Daniel eventually gave birth to King's grandfather, Adam Daniel Williams.
On March 14, 1894, Adam Daniel Williams, who was a reverend, took over pastoral duties at Ebenezer Baptist Church on Airline Street in Atlanta. At the time, there were only 17 listed members. In his first year, 65 members joined, and he purchased land to build a new church on McGruder Street.
Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., (center) is escorted into a mass meeting at Fish University in Nashville. His colleagues are, left to right, John Lewis, national chairman of the Student Non-Violent Committee and Lester McKinnie, on of the leaders i …
Due to growing membership, the McGruder Street building eventually proved to be too small. In 1900, Williams purchased Fifth Church on Bell and Gilmer Streets.
In 1903, Williams and his wife, Jennie Parks, gave birth to Alberta Christine Williams, King's mother. The family, now in Atlanta, continued transforming Ebenezer Baptist Church.
In 1914, the congregation moved to the basement of its current location. Throughout the years, construction and renovations were done on the historic church as it grew into the prominent religious institution it is today.
King's father, Martin Luther King, Sr. served as an assistant pastor to Rev. Williams from 1927 to 1930. He became the pastor in 1931 when Williams died. His son, Martin, Jr., served as his co-pastor. He kept that position until he was assassinated in 1968.
Besides drawing a deep connection to Atlanta through their religion, the King family was also drawn to its educational institutions.
UNITED STATES - AUGUST 28: Participants in the August 28 March on Washington all around the Lincoln Memorial. This march, organized by Reverend Martin Luther KING, demanded equal rights for American blacks. (Photo by Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone …
King's maternal grandmother, Jennie Parks, took classes at Spelman Seminary when she was just 15.
In 1944, Martin Luther King, Jr. was accepted to Morehouse College as an early admission applicant, studying sociology. He was only 15, too.
Although King took his civil rights work around the world, Atlanta quickly became an epicenter of change. King's reputation influenced many Black Americans to view it as a place they could thrive culturally, socially, economically, and politically.
The procession bearing the coffin at the funeral of assassinated civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr in Atlanta, Georgia, 9th April 1968. (Photo by Santi Visalli/Archive Photos/Getty Images)
King was buried at the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park. Soon after, Coretta Scott King established The King Center as "the official, living memorial dedicated to the advancement of the legacy" of her husband. They both sit right next to Ebenezer Baptist Church.
The Sanford University's King Institute and National Park Service contributed to this history report.
When was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. assassinated?
Dr. King died on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. He was shot at the Lorraine Motel.
The Source: The Sanford University's King Institute and National Park Service contributed to the history report of the King family's significance in Atlanta. Facts about the Annual MLK Day Commemorative Service come from the King Center. Other information has been previously reported by the FOX 5 Atlanta Digital Team.