Martin Luther King Jr., a reverend and civil-rights activist, was assassinated at 39. However, he inspired several movements and political changes.

The holiday falls on the third Monday of January. A bill to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a federal holiday was introduced on April 8, 1968 — four days after King was assassinated, according to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Mayor Brandon Johnson, Michael Eric Dyson, faith leaders and other speakers celebrated Black history and urged people to continue fighting racism at the city's interfaith breakfast celebrating the life of the Rev.