Local Business

Martin Luther King, Jr Day Goes Unrecognized by the City of Fullerton

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Martin Luther King, Jr visited Orange County on March 19, 1968, for the annual convention of the California Democratic Council held at the Anaheim Convention Center. There were several legislative achievements in support of civil rights that collectively dismantled the structures of segregation.

  • The Civil Rights Act in 1964 marked a milestone in the long struggle to extend civil, political, and legal rights and protections to African Americans, including former slaves and their descendants, and to end segregation in public and private facilities.
  • The Voting Rights Act in 1965 provided for direct federal intervention to enable African Americans to register and vote and banned tactics long designed to keep them from the polls.
  • The Fair Housing Act in 1968 collectively dismantled the structures of segregation that long buttressed white supremacy by subjugating Black people as a racial caste. While there has been progress

Even with all these legislative achievements, there was much work and public education to be done, and the struggle for equality continues today. However, this federally recognized holiday is not observed by the City of Fullerton.

The holidays that the City of Fullerton observes are:

  1. New Year’s Day (January 1)
  2. Washington’s Birthday (also called President’s Day) (Third Monday in February)
  3. Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
  4. Independence Day (July 4)
  5. Labor Day (First Monday in September)
  6. Veterans Day (November 11)
  7. Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)
  8. Christmas Day (December 25)
  9. Christmas Eve (December 24)
  10. New Year’s Eve (December 31)

Unless you work for the federal government, there are no holidays that employers “must” give workers time off for. Here is a list of the federal holidays observed by the federal government:

1)    New Year’s Day (January 1)
2)    Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. (Third Monday in January)
3)    Washington’s Birthday (also called President’s Day) (Third Monday in February)
4)    Memorial Day (Last Monday in May)
5)    Juneteenth National Independence Day (June 19)
6)    Independence Day (July 4)
7)    Labor Day (First Monday in September)
8)    Columbus Day (also observed as Indigenous Peoples Day) (Second Monday in October)
9)    Veterans Day (November 11)
10)    Thanksgiving Day (Fourth Thursday in November)
11)    Christmas Day (December 25)

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Categories: Local Business, Local Government, Local News

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19 replies »

  1. We finally got our emplyer to recognize MLK as a paid legal holiday after our union went to the barganing table! It was a great day to spend with the family or provide service to others. My employer has always given people the opportunity to use their vacation time to serve others on MLK Day but this year we got paid to help the community or honor him in which ever way we chose.

  2. Why do the federal and local governments recognize a religious observance as a holiday? I suggest Fullerton trade Christmas for MLK’s birthday.

    • Recognizing religious observances is fully reasonable, as long as it’s not selective in the way it currently is – could add the Eids to the list as well as Yom Kippur, and others that would have a sizable positive impact on City employees.

      • Including every religion? Or just some religions? How about the city recognize no religious holidays, but allow employees to take off a set number per year according to their religion, and accommodate the non-religious with parity? Then, we can start to talk about why we don’t get mail on Sundays.

  3. Juneteenth is a Texas holiday that somehow became a national holiday. I’ll all for celebrating the end of slavery but how about give recognition to nationally historical events like the emancipation proclamation in January or the ratification of the 14th Amendment in July? Those two dates are much more significant than Juneteenth. Juneteenth doesn’t even signify the end of slavery in America because the native tribes practiced slavery for a few years after Juneteenth.

    • According to Wikipedia, Juneteenth (officially Juneteenth National Independence Day) is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the end of slavery. Its name is a portmanteau of “June” and “nineteenth”, as it is celebrated on the anniversary of June 19, 1865, when as the American Civil War was ending, Major General Gordon Granger ordered the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation in Texas.[8][9] Originating in Galveston, Juneteenth has since been observed annually in various parts of the United States, often broadly celebrating African-American culture.

      Early celebrations date back to 1866, at first involving church-centered community gatherings in Texas. They spread across the South and became more commercialized in the 1920s and 1930s, often centering on a food festival. Participants in the Great Migration brought these celebrations to the rest of the country. During the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, these celebrations were eclipsed by the nonviolent determination to achieve civil rights, but grew in popularity again in the 1970s with a focus on African-American freedom and African-American arts. Beginning with Texas by proclamation in 1938, and by legislation in 1979, every U.S. state and the District of Columbia has formally recognized the holiday in some way. Juneteenth is also celebrated by the Mascogos, descendants of Black Seminoles who escaped from slavery in 1852 and settled in Coahuila, Mexico.

      The day was recognized as a federal holiday in 2021, when President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law. Juneteenth became the first new federal holiday since Martin Luther King Jr. Day was adopted in 1983

      • You do know Wikipedia is not a reliable source.. anyone can edit it and add misinformation

        • That’s not how Wikipedia actually works in practice though. It has crowdsourced moderation and crowdsourced enforced norms about information quality and sourcing.

          In theory anyone can edit it. In practice it is often a source of high quality information due to how the system works as a whole. It depends on whether good monitors are dedicating time to a given article to address problems. Articles about higher profile subjects get more attacks but they also tend to have more moderators addressing problems quickly.

  4. This story is poor reporting. The author didn’t bother to ask the cops or fire heroes if they wanted this as a holiday or just more pay. Do basic reporting. Otherwise, don’t publish this trash.

  5. Why would the author do any research? Everytime I watch a council meeting, she is too busy making public comments.

  6. Should add it + Juneteenth at least. Those two specifically being missing is very telling…

      • You would know. No one angrier than you. Anaheim resident. Skydiving accident. Sure pal.

        • …Just like how you conspiracy-blog goons accused CMZahra of being from LongBeach. :eye roll:

          And you’re correct. I am angry at this CounciMajority’s character flaws. I am angry that they blatantly and shamelessly lie…on PublicRecord. I am angry that they destroy PublicTrust. I am angry that they shut down transparency, discussion, and even presentations. So yeah, I am angry…