Friday, March 6, 2026
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Latest:
The CSC Eagle Newspaper – Chadron, NE
Editorial

MLK Day isn’t an excuse to do nothing all day

Eagle Staff

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is an opportunity for Americans to reflect on and honor the life of perhaps the greatest civil rights leader in history.

Established by Ronald Reagan on January 20, 1983, the holiday was, according to a 2006 article in “The Nation” Magazine, originally proposed by labor unions as a point in their contracts.

These days, most federal employees get the day off from work, while the private sector tends to remain in action.

One institution, though, has attracted minor controversy for its inconsistent Martin Luther King, Jr. Day scheduling: schools. Many argue that students of all ages should get a day off to observe Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but there are no major benefits to this move.

Students are not bound by labor contracts and don’t need to seek leverage against the institution by limiting school time. If anything, their goal should be to maximize their hours of contact with teachers. And after all, many students know of Martin Luther King, Jr. but when it comes to this national holiday they don’t pay him much attention on the day off.

Since students receive greater benefits from attending school than not, and since a full day off is not necessary to observe the holiday, schools should not close for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Here in Chadron, the college’s Diversity Committee sponsored a march through  town in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

Many of the students involved participated because their professors canceled class. This is a perfect example of how to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: they can spend their time out of school to actually do something to memorialize the man.

There’s nothing wrong with missing a single lecture because your teacher felt that actively participating in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day festivities is valuable; however, putting your entire course load on hold for a day just to sit idly is to take this celebration of the civil rights movement entirely for granted.

In short, students should only seek to take time off for events like Martin Luther King, Jr. Day if both they themselves and the celebration itself will stand to benefit.