Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with Movies

It is worth remembering today that Martin Luther King, Jr. Day was signed into law as a federally recognized holiday by President Ronald Reagan in 1986, and observed for the first time three years later. But many southern states were slow to honor the federal holiday. The last state to officially recognize the holiday was South Carolina, which passed a bill in 2000 officially recognizing MKL, Jr. Day, making it a paid holiday for all state employees.

What can one do on this day to commemorate Dr. King? At the very least, one can watch movies. Which ones? Well, today’s New York Times has some suggestions. Here is a link to movie critic Robert Daniels’s list of “seven recent films” that “help commemorate King’s legacy in fighting for racial justice.”