Martin Luther King Jr.

===United States===
[[File:'Today capitalism has outlived its usefulness' MLK.jpg|thumb|Banner at the [[2012 Republican National Convention]] ]]

King has become a national icon in the history of [[Modern liberalism in the United States|American liberalism]] and [[American progressivism]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Krugman|first=Paul R.|url=https://archive.org/details/conscienceoflib00krug/page/84|title=The Conscience of a Liberal|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=2009|isbn=978-0-393-33313-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/conscienceoflib00krug/page/84 84]}}</ref> His main legacy was to secure progress on civil rights in the U.S. Just days after King's assassination, Congress passed the [[Civil Rights Act of 1968]].<ref name=HUDHistory>{{cite web|title=The History of Fair Housing|url=http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/aboutfheo/history|publisher=U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development|access-date=April 19, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120327032116/http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=%2Fprogram_offices%2Ffair_housing_equal_opp%2Faboutfheo%2Fhistory|archive-date=March 27, 2012}}
</ref> Title VIII of the Act, commonly known as the Fair Housing Act, prohibited discrimination in housing and housing-related transactions on the basis of race, religion, or national origin (later expanded to include sex, familial status, and disability). This legislation was seen as a tribute to King's struggle in his final years to combat residential discrimination.<ref name=HUDHistory /> The day following King's assassination, teacher [[Jane Elliott]] conducted her first "Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes" exercise with her class of elementary school students to help them understand King's death as it related to racism.<ref>{{cite news|title= A Class Divided: One Friday in April, 1968|work= Frontline|publisher= PBS|last= Peters|first= William|url= https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/friday.html|date= January 1, 2003|access-date= June 15, 2008|archive-date= June 5, 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080605044824/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/divided/etc/friday.html|url-status= live}}</ref>

King's wife Coretta Scott King was active in matters of social justice and civil rights until her death in 2006. The same year that King was assassinated, she established the King Center in Atlanta, Georgia, dedicated to preserving his legacy and the work of championing nonviolent conflict resolution and tolerance worldwide.<ref name=KC-WEB1>{{cite web|title=The King Center's Mission|publisher=[[Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site|The King Center]]|url=http://www.thekingcenter.org/tkc/mission.asp| access-date=June 15, 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080412114756/http://www.thekingcenter.org/tkc/mission.asp |archive-date=April 12, 2008}}
</ref> Their son, Dexter King, serves as the center's chairman.<ref>{{cite news|title=Future of Atlanta's King Center in limbo|work=USA Today|last=Copeland|first=Larry|date=February 1, 2006|url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-31-king-center_x.htm|access-date=August 27, 2008|archive-date=August 29, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080829132426/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-01-31-king-center_x.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web| url =http://www.thekingcenter.org/tkc/chairman.asp |title= Chairman's Message: Introduction to the King Center and its Mission| publisher =The King Center| access-date=June 15, 2008 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080118102950/http://www.thekingcenter.org/tkc/chairman.asp | archive-date=January 18, 2008}}
</ref> Daughter Yolanda King, who died in 2007, was a motivational speaker, author and founder of Higher Ground Productions, an organization specializing in diversity training.<ref>{{cite web|publisher=Higher Ground Productions |url=http://www.highergroundproductions.com/index2.htm |title=Welcome |access-date=June 15, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513175358/http://www.highergroundproductions.com/index2.htm |archive-date=May 13, 2008 }}</ref>

Within the King family, members disagree about his views about [[LGBT]] people. King's widow Coretta publicly said that she believed her husband would have supported [[gay rights]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Triple Evils|publisher= [[The King Center]]| url=http://www.thekingcenter.org/misc/triple_evils.htm| archive-url=https://archive.today/20080803150448/http://www.thekingcenter.org/misc/triple_evils.htm| url-status=dead| archive-date=August 3, 2008| access-date=August 27, 2008 }}</ref> However, his youngest child, Bernice King, has said that he would have been opposed to [[gay marriage]].<ref name=MPR-WEB1>{{cite news|last= Williams|first= Brandt|title= What would Martin Luther King do?|publisher= [[Minnesota Public Radio]]|date= January 16, 2005|url= http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/01/17_williamsb_wwmlkd/|access-date= August 27, 2008|archive-date= July 19, 2008|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080719231916/http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/01/17_williamsb_wwmlkd/|url-status= live}}</ref>

====Martin Luther King Jr. Day====
{{Main|Martin Luther King Jr. Day}}
Beginning in 1971, cities and states established annual holidays to honor King.<ref name="stlouis">{{Cite web|date=January 21, 2014|title=St. Louis Remains A Stronghold For Dr. King's Dream|url=https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2014-01-20/st-louis-remains-a-stronghold-for-dr-kings-dream|access-date=March 18, 2022|website=STLPR|language=en|archive-date=April 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411091048/https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2014-01-20/st-louis-remains-a-stronghold-for-dr-kings-dream|url-status=live}}</ref> On November 2, 1983, President [[Ronald Reagan]] signed a bill creating a federal holiday to honor King. Observed for the first time on January 20, 1986, it is called [[Martin Luther King Jr. Day]]. Following President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s 1992 proclamation, the holiday is observed on the third Monday of January each year, near the time of King's birthday.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=47329|title=Proclamation 6401&nbsp;– Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Holiday|year=1992|publisher=The American Presidency Project|access-date=September 8, 2008|archive-date=October 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081005092831/http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=47329|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Martin Luther King Day|publisher=U.S. Department of State| url= http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/mlkbday.htm|access-date=June 15, 2008 |archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20080328081425/http://exchanges.state.gov/education/engteaching/mlkbday.htm |archive-date=March 28, 2008}}</ref> On January 17, 2000, for the first time, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was officially observed in all fifty U.S. states.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/26/us/contrarian-new-hampshire-to-honor-dr-king-at-last.html|title=Contrarian New Hampshire To Honor Dr. King, at Last|work=The New York Times|last=Goldberg|first=Carey|date=May 26, 1999|access-date=June 15, 2008|archive-date=July 29, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090729104406/http://www.nytimes.com/1999/05/26/us/contrarian-new-hampshire-to-honor-dr-king-at-last.html|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Arizona]] (1992), [[New Hampshire]] (1999) and [[Utah]] (2000) were the last states to recognize the holiday. Utah previously celebrated the holiday under the name Human Rights Day.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkhistory1.html| title=The History of Martin Luther King Day| publisher=Infoplease| year=2007| access-date=July 4, 2011| archive-date=July 4, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110704203142/http://www.infoplease.com/spot/mlkhistory1.html| url-status=live}}</ref>