A Holiday for All to Share

This year, five years after Congress created a national holiday on Jan. 15 to commemorate Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, only four of 29 Orange County cities--and the county itself--have officially recognized the day and its meaning. At the rate additional cities join in, it will be well into the 21st Century before the holiday is given its just due.

Congress made the birthday of the slain civil rights leader a holiday because he stood for justice and equality for all races. Those who lived through the days when King led nonviolent demonstrations to force the white society to come face to face with its own racism will never forget the role this eloquent and peaceful man played in national change. But, while the most virulent forms of racism have disappeared, there are still gains to be made for blacks in America, and in Orange County. As an indication of the non-acceptance of blacks here, their numbers have remained virtually stagnant for a decade, still numbering less than 30,000 of a population of more than 2 million.

Of course, Martin Luther King Day is not just for blacks. It also represents the struggle for equality of all people who come to America in search of freedom. In Orange County, this includes large communities of Vietnamese refugees and Latinos.

Last year, Seal Beach added Martin Luther King Day to its list of employee holidays. The year before, Santa Ana joined the cities of Irvine and Huntington Beach, as well as Orange County, to celebrate the symbolic day. During this coming year, other cities should join with them so that, well before the turn of the century, it is a holiday observed by all in Orange County.