MLK Day: A Great Day and A Call for More Holidays

A few years ago, a co-worker and I were discussing Martin Luther King Day. She had been with the company for years and remarked to me that she was disappointed that the company had taken away one of our floating holidays so that Martin Luther King Day could be observed. I found that to be an odd comment especially considering what Martin Luther King Day stands for, and that our conversation may not even be existing if not for the advancement of civil rights. She may not even have any floating holidays with her job. I likely would not even be an American. It's impressive how much has progressed in American society since the Civil Rights Movement, and that does constantly need to be reminded and recognized. We still have a lot of progress potentially in the future, too.

Martin Luther King Day is one of my favorite holidays for multiple reasons. Say what you would like about Martin Luther King (I'm not sure why you'd have an issue with him), but he was the face of the Civil Rights Movement, essentially one of the first people that I think of when I think of the words “American history,” and his work has an impact even to this day. It's nice to spend a day to reflect on that and peace and equality among all. Though, somehow, Martin Luther King Day often goes overlooked and may be the most underrated holiday. It seemingly comes across as a holiday that people just accept and either do or do not get a day off (which, by the way, I'm not a big fan of major companies not recognizing federal holidays or, at the least, providing extra incentive to their employees for working such holidays). But, people should take the time to reflect on the impact and should be able to enjoy a day off.

Speaking of the time, Martin Luther King Day is a nicely placed federal holiday on our calendar year. We've just completed the Christmas holiday, and hey, here's another holiday just a few weeks later to relax again. Now, the unfortunate thing is we now have to go full throttle with no holidays until Memorial Day (we can't count the equally wishy-washy Presidents' Day, which I don't get a day off for – again, I don't agree with that).

As mentioned in Bill Simmons's podcast from January 5 with Kevin Wildes, we do need more holidays. I like the suggested idea in the podcast of a Susan B. Anthony day. If we choose Anthony's death day purely out of calendar convenience, it will land on March 13. This is a great spot for another holiday especially if it's a fixed day of that week, which will always rotate to a different day every year, and gives the chance for the Susan B. Anthony Women's Rights Holiday to also land on St. Patrick's Day. Double success!

Anyway, here are the main points: Martin Luther King Day is a great holiday. We should all celebrate it and get the day off. Every federal holiday should be a day off. One more federal holiday would make the calendar even better. Susan B. Anthony was a woman, and yet her death date is more important for calendar purposes than her birth date for actual respect for her life.

The "Rocky III" of Martin Luther Kings.