Martin Luther King Day 2019: What's Open, Closed In Oak Forest

OAK FOREST, IL — Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday, brings closures to area schools, agencies and offices Monday in commemoration of the civil rights leader's birthday. His birthday is Jan. 15, but the official observation is the third Monday of January. In 2019, it will be observed Jan. 21.

Congressman John Conyers first introduced legislation in 1968 to create a federal holiday that honored the civil rights leader, according to a Time retrospective of the holiday.
But it wasn't until President Ronald Reagan signed a bill in 1983 that the national holiday became official. It took three more years until agencies and offices across the country observed it with closures or other events.

Although it is a federal holiday, some locations may choose to remain open. It can be tough to keep up with what's what.

Here is a list of what’s open and closed to help you avoid confusion:

• Federal offices: closed
• Post offices: closed
• Oak Forest schools: closed
• State offices: closed
• Cook County offices: closed
• Cook County courthouse: closed
• Library: open
• Oak Forest government offices: open
• Banks: many are closed; check your local bank schedule
• Metra and CTA: normal weekday service
• Malls, restaurants: open

Photo via Shutterstock.