Arizona was one of the last states to recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a holiday and the only state that required a public vote to do so.

It took a long and contentious fight to make Martin Luther King Jr. Day a state holiday in Arizona. The big picture: The movement to carve out a day to honor King began shortly after his 1968 assassination.

Arizona didn't celebrate Martin Luther King Day until 1993, a decade after it became a federal holiday. Here's how the Super Bowl played a role.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is recognized across the nation, both as a state and national holiday, on the civil rights activist’s birthday, Jan. 20. The day serves as an

Arizona's path to recognition was particularly complex. In March 1986, Governor Bruce Babbitt declared Martin Luther King Jr. Day an Arizona holiday through executive order after the State Legislature failed by one vote to pass the measure. However ...

Family and others carrying on Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy of equality, justice and nonviolent protest want Americans to remember that Monday's holiday is really about helping others.