In a rare overlap, this coming Monday is both Inauguration Day and Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The second inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump is just the third time a president will take the oath of office on the day dedicated to honoring the late civil rights leader. This occurred with the second inaugurations of both former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, in 1997 and 2013, respectively.
To paint a picture of how rare an occurrence it will be for the two events to coincide, it’s important to note that the next time this will occur is in January 2053.
While. U.S. presidents had taken the oath of office in early March because of how long it would take to tabulate the vote, improvements in voting technology occasioned the move to January 20 by 1937, when Franklin Delano Roosevelt became the first to take his oath of office, this for his second of four terms to which he was elected.
Dr. King, a Baptist minister and activist, was a leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He is widely recognized for having advanced civil rights through non-violent actions and civil disobedience. King’s father, Martin Luther King Sr., was an early civil rights leader who survived his son’s death and died in 1984.
King’s actual birthday is also January 15, a Tuesday in 1929, the year he was born, but the federal holiday celebrating him is observed on the third Monday of January each year regardless of the date. Last year this fell on January 18.
The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination. President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983 and it was first observed in 1986.
Here’s what you need to know about what’s open for business and operating in the United States – and what isn’t – on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in 2024.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT. Only federal employees in the Washington, D.C., area are entitled to a day off on the day a President is inaugurated, this on January 20th for each fourth year after 1965.
SHOPS. Virtually all stores and malls will be open. Drug stores such as Walgreens and CVS and convenience stores such as 7-Eleven and Wawa will be open as well.
RESTAURANTS. Almost all restaurants will be open on Monday, except those that are generally closed on Mondays.
THEATER. Although Monday is a day that many Broadway theaters are dark, those that usually have Monday evening performances will be open, as will off-Broadway houses.
GOVERNMENT OFFICES All Federal government offices are closed on Monday in observance of Martin Luther King Day, as will be almost all city and state offices. All will reopen on Tuesday.
POST OFFICE No regular mail delivery except for Priority Mail Express, formerly known as Express Mail. Regular service resumes on Tuesday.
PACKAGE DELIVERY SERVICES UPS and FedEx will deliver packages on Monday as usual.
BANKS Financial institutions have the option to close. Almost all will. Banks will resume regular hours on Tuesday.
SCHOOLS Closed on Monday in almost all jurisdictions, including those where distance-learning is in place.
FINANCIAL MARKETS The nation’s stock and bond markets will be closed on Monday and reopen Tuesday.
TRANSPORTATION Most local transportation systems, such as buses, subways, and commuter rail systems, will operate on Sunday or holiday schedules on Monday with normal service resuming on Tuesday. Airports and airlines will operate on a normal weekday schedule, weather permitting.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
