MLK Jr. Day 2018: Does the Post Office Deliver Mail Today?

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated each year on the third Monday of each year. Government offices are closed on MLK Day, since it's a federal holiday. But is the post office closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day? Is mail delivered?

All United States Post Office locations will be closed on Martin Luther King Jr Day. USPS will not deliver mail as its employees have the day off (only a few USPS packages are expected to be delivered-- Priority Mail Express packages, and packages shipped by Amazon). FedEx and UPS will provide normal pickup and delivery service. 

What's a federal holiday? Federal holidays are authorized holidays, recognized by the US government. If something is a federal holiday, that means non-essential federal government offices are closed, and federal employees are paid for the day.

Unfortunately, banks are also closed on MLK Day. If you need to see a teller at the bank, make sure you do so during the limited weekend hours.

MLK Jr. Day Has Been a Federal Holiday Since 1986

In Arizona and New Hampshire, Martin Luther King Jr. day is combined with Civil Rights Day. It's observed with Human Rights Day in Idaho.

In 1964, Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. His life and his triumphs have been recognized each year since 1986. It wasn't observed in all states until 2000.

King Jr. was born in Georgia in 1929 to pastor Martin Luther King Sr., and a former school teacher, Alberta Williams King. At Morehouse College, his father's alma mater, King planned on studying medicine and law.

After growing close with Dr. Benjamin Mays, the president of Morehouse College, King Jr.'s plans changed, and he decided to enter a theological seminary after graduating. After that, he enrolled in a graduate program at Boston University, where he earned his doctorate in systematic theology. It was in Boston that King Jr. met Coretta Scott, who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music.

In 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery bus. The bus boycott that ensued had MLK Jr. as its leader and official spokesman.

It wasn't until 1983 that President Ronald Reagan signed a bill that officially proclaimed a federal holiday in MLK Jr.'s name.