Remembering Martin Luther King Jr. | People

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and Sunday would have been the civil rights leader's 83rd birthday.

Ronald Reagan signed the holiday in honor of King into law in 1983 and was first observed on January 20, 1986.

It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

This is the first year a memorial will stand in Washington, D.C. in King's honor.

However, the government plans to change a paraphrased quote on the side of the statue after Poet Maya Angelou said it made King appear arrogant.

"We do not want it as a distraction. We actually want it to be correct, so we're working with the National Park Service to see what will happen," said Angelou.

He was assassinated on the balcony of a Memphis motel in 1968.

Dr. King believed in a nation of freedom and justice for all, according to mlkday.gov, and encouraged all citizens to live up to the purpose and potential of America by applying the principles of nonviolence to make this country a better place to live—creating the Beloved Community.

For more information and history on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, visit www.mlkday.gov.