Rep. John Conyers, a Michigan Democrat was the first to submit King's birthday as a national holiday. Four days after King was shot down in Memphis, Tennessee, Conyers asked congress to name Kings Birthday as a holiday. It took nearly two decades before that request was granted. Ronald Regan signed the holiday into law in November of 1983.  

Locally, Willamette University will celebrate MLK Day with a series of events. A free lecture, "Our Work for the Next 40 Years: Realizing the Dream 2048," by Jamie Washington, president and founder of the Washington Consulting Group and founding faculty member of the Social Justice Training Institute, will start Willamette's celebration.  

The Washington Consulting Group and the Social Justice Training Institute are organizations that promote multicultural diversity in the business community. Washington's lecture starts at 7 p.m. on January 21 in Hudson Hall on the Willamette University Campus.  

A civil rights-themed film will show each evening at 7 p.m., January 22-24. On January 26 the Stride Toward Freedom 5K Run/Walk will begin on Brown Filed. The film series is free, but the walk run has a $15 entry fee that will benefit Fabric of Cultures: Performance & Lecture Series at the Salem Multicultural Institute.  

The most anticipated part of the week-long celebration is a presentation by Nikki Giovanni, a poet and activist who will perform with Western Oregon University's Rainbow Dance Theatre.  

Giovanni is a world-famous poet who gained national notoriety after her stirring eulogy for the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings. Rainbow Dance Theatre has gained international attention for their blend of African, hip-hop and ballet dance styles.  

The joint effort is being called "The Truth is on the Way" and begins at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 25 in Smith Auditorium on the Willamette Campus.  

As for other ways to celebrate MLK Day there are 108 Oregon service events registered on the website:  www.mlkday.gov. For information about the Willamette events, call (503) 370-6265 or visit  willamette.edu/go/mlk