MLK Day 2022: Somerville's Observance, What's Open And Closed

SOMERVILLE, MA — Martin Luther King Jr. Day falls on Monday, Jan. 17 this year, and a variety of services will be closed around the city on the day.

King's birthday is Jan. 15, but the federal holiday celebrating the civil rights leader is observed on the third Monday of January each year.

The history of the MLK holiday in America is a complicated one.

Almost immediately after King's assassination in 1968, activists began pushing for a holiday celebrating his Jan. 15 birthday. However, the official national holiday wasn't signed into law until 1983 by President Ronald Reagan.

The first federal MLK Day was observed on the third Monday of January in 1986, but many states held out. Arizona didn't recognize the day until 1992, when the state lost its rights to host the Super Bowl after voters in Arizona failed to make the day a paid holiday.

The last state to adopt the holiday? New Hampshire, in 1999.

Somerville will observe MLK Day this year with a website where residents can read or watch student essays and videos that discuss King's legacy and how his work applies to their lives and modern times. Youth submissions were collected via a call by the Somerville Human Rights Commission in coordination with the Somerville Public Schools.

Visit somervillema.gov beginning January 17 to read or view Somerville Public School students' reflections on King's work. Both participation calls from the Racial and Social Justice Department will be posted to the webpage, along with a statement from Mayor Ballantyne.

Here is what will be open and closed on MLK Day:

• City Offices: Closed

• Public Schools: Closed

• Public Libraries: Closed.

• Post Offices: Closed, No Mail Delivery
  • UPS: Regular service
  • FedEx: Regular service

• Courts: Closed

Transportation:

• MBTA subway and bus lines will operate on a Saturday schedule, save for a handful of bus routes, but the commuter rail is running on a regular weekday schedule. Holiday MBTA Service Schedules

Trash and recycling:

• Delayed by one day.