Press Releases
U.S. Embassy Holiday In Recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr.
January 11, 2007
U.S. Government offices in Tanzania will remain closed for the Martin Luther King Holiday on Monday, January 15, 2007. The offices of the American Embassy, Agency for International Development (USAID), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Peace Corps will reopen on Tuesday, January 16, 2007.
On January 15, Americans will celebrate the 78th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (January 15, 1929-April 4, 1968), a leader of the American Civil Rights movement. Dr. King’s advocacy for peace, nonviolence and equal treatment for all made him an inspiration to many people in the United States and abroad.
Dr. King spoke passionately of his dream of equality for all Americans, rallying people of varying ethnic and social backgrounds to his ideals. Focusing on the inequalities that existed in the United States during his era, Dr. King dreamed of an America where all citizens would be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin, and of an America where all would enjoy the riches of freedom and the security of justice. He also spoke of an America where the doors of opportunity would be open to all.
In 1964 at the age of 35, Martin Luther King, Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize.
Tragically, Dr. King was assassinated on April 4, 1968 in Memphis Tennessee. However Dr. King’s words and actions ushered in an era of sweeping legal and social change in the United States that moved the country closer to realizing his dreams.