Mrs. M.L. King Excellent Typed Letter Signed

2pp, 8.5" x 11", February 13, 1985. Signed "Coretta" in black ink by Mrs. King. Typed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Center stationery and addressed to Stoney Cooks. In the letter, Coretta mentions the Center's call to action to end world hunger and apartheid in South Africa. She also writes of the legal establishment of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which was nationally observed the following year: "1985 will also see us providing major leadership to The Martin Luther King, Jr. Federal Holiday Commission as it goes about the business of mobilizing the nation for the first legal national observance of Martin's birthday on Monday, January 20, 1986...1985 promises to be a year of great challenge and opportunity and we can all be proud to be a part of history in the making."

The idea of King's birthday becoming a national holiday was first proposed to Congress in 1979, but the bill did not receive enough votes to be passed. The proposal gained popularity and support after Stevie Wonder released his single "Happy Birthday" in 1980. A petition of six million signatures was presented to Congress in favor of the bill, but this was again met with opposition in the Senate. The bill was finally signed into law by President Reagan on November 2, 1983, and is today observed on the third Monday of January.

A few spots of soiling at margins on the first page.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.??
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