By: Kim Jones

Greetings Sisters and Brothers,

It’s January, the first month of a new year. Why is January an important month? Named after Janus, the Roman god of all beginnings, January brings a new year and a new start, and with that opportunities for breaking new ground.

DID YOU KNOW… these January events that changed the world?
– President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863.
– The discovery of gold in El Dorado County sparked the California gold rush on January 24, 1848.
– Time zones were adopted by 25 nations on January 1, 1885.
– Boeing’s first 747 jumbo jet completed it’s inaugural transatlantic passenger flight on January 22, 1970.
– January 9, 2007, the Apple iPhone made it appearance, putting the Internet in everyone’s pocket.
That was just a few firsts during the first month of the year.

In January, we celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday. He was born January 15, 1929. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is a federal holiday in the United States observed on the third Monday of January each year.

King was an American Baptist minister, activist, and a political philosopher who was one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. He advanced civil rights for people of color in the United States through the use of nonviolent resistance and nonviolent civil disobedience against Jim Crow laws and other forms of legalized discrimination.

A black church leader, King participated in and led marches for the right to vote, desegregation, labor rights and other civil rights. He oversaw the 1955 Montgomery bus boycott and later became the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As president of the SCLC, he led the unsuccessful Albany movement in Albany, GA, and helped organize some of the non-violent 1963 protests in Birmingham, AL.

King was one of the leaders of the 1963 “March on Washington,” where he delivered his “I Have A Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and helped organize two of the three Selma to Montgomery marches, during the 1965 Selma voting rights movement. The civil rights movement achieved pivotal legislative gains in the Civil Rights Act of 1965, and the Fair Housing Act of 1968.

King was jailed several times. FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover considered King a radical and made him an object of the FBI COINTELPRO rom 1963 forward. FBI agents investigated him for possible communist ties, spied on her personal life, and secretly recorded him. In 1964, the FBI mailed a threatening anonymous letter, which King interpreted as an attempt to make him commit suicide.

On October 14, 1964, King won the Nobel Prize for combating racial inequalities through nonviolent resistance. In his final years, he expanded his focus to include opposition towards poverty and the Vietnam war. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Metal of Freedom in 1977 and the Congressional Gold Metal in 2003.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was established as a holiday in the cities and states throughout the United States beginning in 1971. The federal holiday was first observed in 1986. The Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial next to the National Mall in Washington DC, was dedicated in 2011.

MLK Day is the only federal holiday where you take a day on, not a day off. In 1994, President Bill Clinton signed into law making it a National Day of Service. On January 20, 2025, the MLK holiday will mark the 30th anniversary as a National Day of Service. This day was established to honor the life and Legacy of Dr. King, and to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Honor his memory by organizing, volunteering, and spreading the word. Remember to make it a day on, not a day off, for you and those around you.

On Tuesday, February 11, 2025, come join us at UAW Local 659 to celebrate this year’s White Shirt Day, honoring the 1936-1937 Sit-down Strikers at 11 a.m.

February is also Black History Month. After being canceled due to Covid, the Black History program is back. This year’s theme is “Honoring The Past, Inspiring the Future.” The program will be held on February 23, 2025 from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m.

On March 1, 2025, the 6th Annual UAW 659 Conservation Dinner will be held at 5:00 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at the Union Hall.

Also, UAW Region 1-D will hold its Invitational Bowling Tournament on March 22 and March 23, 2025, at Jax 60 Bowling Center in Jackson, MI.