“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal,’” said Martin Luther King Jr. in his “I Have a Dream” speech, Aug. 28, 1963.

This year we celebrate the 20th year of the national holiday Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In Idaho it is recognized as Human Rights Day. 

According to executive order No. 99-08 issued on July 16, 1999 by Governor Dirk Kempthorne of the State of Idaho, “in 1990 the Idaho Legislature enacted legislation which established the third Monday in January as a legal state holiday known as Martin Luther King Jr. - Idaho Human Rights Day.”

It was the boycott in Montgomery, Ala., against segregated city bus lines in 1956 that placed King as a civil rights leader.

But the protest he led in Birmingham, Ala., in 1963 brought him more than just attention in the South. He led the August, 1963 March on Washington, which brought together more than 200,000 people.

From that march, King was sent to jail, but his words in jail were still heard.

“We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people,” King said in a letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963.

His words are still heard today. We celebrate the civil rights leader across the country. King’s leadership and service has led many to follow his path.

Idaho’s capitol and Boise State University spend one week celebrating Martin Luther King Jr. and Human Rights Day each year. These activities include a service fair.

“Idaho wishes to ensure that all persons have an opportunity to participate fully in honoring Dr. King … the celebration of Dr. King’s birthday is intended as a time for all Americans to reaffirm their commitment to the basic principles that underlie our Constitution — equality and justice for all,” Kempthorne said in executive order No. 99-08.