Martin Luther King Day 2023: Why people celebrate it
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On the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's death kids told us why he mattered
It's Martin Luther King Day in America - a special day where people celebrate the civil rights hero.
For more than three decades, the third Monday in January has been dedicated to celebrating the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King was an incredibly influential figure who helped to shape America's history.
He was a civil rights activist who fought for racial equality.
Nel finds out why King's speech became so famous
How are people celebrating Martin Luther King Day?
Martin Luther King Day is an American holiday and people all over the country and around the world celebrate.
Each year, Martin Luther King Day is the Monday closest to his birthday on 15 January. This year, it's being held on Monday 15 January.
People usually use the time to reach out to their community and spend time together, they also take time to reflect or campaign for racial equality and civil rights issues across the world.
Who is Martin Luther King and why was he so important?
Why do people celebrate?
Before 1964, black people in America were treated as second class citizens.
In some parts of the country they weren't allowed to use the same schools, diners, cinemas or even public toilets as white people.
Why you should know about Martin Luther King
On buses, black and white Americans sat separately and black people could even be arrested for not giving up their seat for a white person.
Martin Luther King wanted to change this.
Racism is when words or actions are used to discriminate or disadvantage people because of the colour of their skin, their culture or ethnic origin.
US civil rights leader Martin Luther King waving from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to supporters on the Mall in Washington, DC in 1963
On 28 August 1963 he marched to Washington DC - the capital of America - and delivered a ground-breaking speech in front of a crowd of thousands of people.
His 17-minute long speech was called "I have a Dream", and talked about living in a future where all people are equal, regardless of the colour of their skin.
I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character.
His speech went down in history, inspired millions of people, and helped to bring about the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
This Act ended the official separation of people by race in public places in the US, and banned companies from not giving people a job on the basis of race, gender, religion or national origin.
In 1964, Martin Luther King was awarded the the Nobel Peace Prize for his campaigning but four years later in 1968 he was shot and killed.
To remember his achievements, people in the US celebrate his memory on Martin Luther King Day by holding parades and giving people a day off work or school.
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