Following is the daily “Profile America” feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:
SATURDAY, JANUARY 15: MARTIN LUTHER KING’S BIRTHDAY
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be 82 years old today. The civil rights leader, minister, and recipient of the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize was born in 1929 and assassinated in 1968. Monday is a federal holiday honoring his memory and marking his long fight for equality for everyone through nonviolent means. King’s hopes for America’s future were embodied in his famous “I have a dream” speech in Washington, D.C. Today, America’s diverse population continues to work toward King’s dream, including 243 million whites, nearly 42 million African-Americans, 13.5 million Asians and just over 3 million American Indians and Alaska natives. About 47 million of the U.S. population are of Hispanic origin. Profile America is in its 14th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
Sources: Chase’s Calendar of Events 2011, p. 86
U.S. Census Bureau, Facts for Features, CB11.FF.01
Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 9
Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look for “Multimedia Gallery” by the “Newsroom” button).
SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau