Monday is Martin Luther King Day across the nation.
No formal gathering has been announced in Emporia to mark the life and legacy of Dr Martin Luther King Jr, but an informal gathering is on the calendar.
Eastside Community Group organizer Al Slappy says there will be activities from 2-4 pm at Eastside Park, including cookies and music, as a way to reflect on King’s teachings on diversity, non-violence and civility.
Typically, there is a celebration involving a march and a gathering at a local church.
Meanwhile, the Federal holiday was already in headlines well before the new year.
Specifically, the removal of MLK Day and Juneteenth from the list of free-admission days at national parks was announced back in December. Shortly after the news broke, KVOE News spoke with Emporia State University Professor of Social Sciences, Sociology and Criminology Michael Smith who stated that while some may see this as a minor issue, saying he can’t speak to how many individuals attend national parks on holidays such as MLK Day and therefore can’t gauge the actual impact, others could see it as an attempt to promote or emphasize a “Two-tiered holiday system” that creates the perception that certain Federal holidays carry more importance than others.
There was no specific reason ever given by the Trump administration for why the two holidays were removed from the list of free-fee days, however, it came as part of what the Trump administration called a “modernisation” of the parks service with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum saying the changes were an attempt to “Increase revenue and improve the recreational experience” while providing what some have called “preferential treatment” to US citizens who will still be able to take advantage of free admission days, while non-residents or international visitors will still be charged a fee. The decision would spark immediate backlash from several civil rights leaders and Democrats who claimed the action was nothing more than an attempt to devalue or diminish black history and the achievements of certain African American figures, such as Martin Luther King Jr.
Smith called the action “Troubling.”
Adding fuel to the fire of raging debate was the addition of Flag Day, which also happens to be President Trump’s birthday, to the list of free admission days. Again, some have defended this action by calling it an attempt to emphasize American holidays.
Aside from that fact, Smith says the move is also peculiar as, while he can appreciate a greater emphasis on “American holidays,” he does feel focusing on Flag Day is an interesting choice.
Smith would conclude his interview with KVOE News by saying he believes the removal of these holidays from the list of free-admission holidays at national parks could be the administration’s way of “Testing the waters” for greater de-emphasis in the future.
2026 marks 43 years since MLK Day was signed into law by President Ronald Reagan in 1983, 15 years after Dr. King was assassinated. The holiday was officially designated as a national day of service by Congress in 1994 and has been recognized by all 50 states since 2000.
