Collections : [Connecticut State Library, State Archives]

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission was established when Governor William A. O'Neil issued Executive Order Number 15 on January 10, 1986. The Connecticut General Assembly in 1989 passed Public Act 89-258, "An Act Creating the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Commission," to ensure the "commemoration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the state is meaningful and reflective of the spirit with which he lived and the struggles for which he died." The Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities is the secretariat for the holiday commission.