Public commenter urges county to use 'Martin Luther King Jr. Day' on website
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Summary
A public commenter at the library district meeting asked the county to refer to the holiday by name or add the initials 'MLK' to its current 'Civil Rights Day' listing, citing historical context and Arizona's late formal recognition of the holiday.
A public commenter who identified herself as Allison Morse urged the county to refer to the holiday commonly known as Martin Luther King Jr. Day by name on its website or, at minimum, add the initials “MLK.”
Morse spoke during the library district meeting’s public comment period on Jan. 20 and recounted key dates tied to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., saying the federal holiday has existed since 1986, that Dr. King delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech in 1963 at the March on Washington, and that he was assassinated on April 4, 1968, in Memphis, Tennessee. She noted Arizona was the last state to recognize the holiday, in 1992, and said the county website currently lists the observance as “Civil Rights Day.”
“That man who is being honored should have his name mentioned, or at least the three letters of his initials,” Morse said, urging the county to either use the statutory name, the nationally known name “Martin Luther King Jr. Day,” or to add “MLK” to the site’s current label.
The meeting record does not show any follow-up action or a staff response to Morse’s request during the session. The board moved on to agenda business after public comment.
