Why is this day so different from other federal holidays?

Twenty-five years after the establishment of the MLK Jr. Holiday, so many people remain hostile to it, seeing it as a boon to “a special interest,” namely the millions of people of color, people of faith, people who believe in America. The last state to actually recognize the day was New Hampshire – in 1999. That was 16 years after President Reagan, the godfather of modern Republicanism, signed a bill creating the holiday.

In the latest display of this hostility and, frankly, ignorance Maine’s governor, who obviously does not see the Tea Party movement as one of special interests even when many of his fellow Republicans do, said that the NAACP could “kiss my butt” when questioned about his intent to skip events marking the holiday. Only after a raft of criticism did Gov. Paul LePage attend a breakfast hosted by a Rotary Club chapter and a senior citizens group. I'm guessing that the NAACP did not accept his booty call.

Before giving a keynote address at the event he chose to grace, a black preacher, the Rev. Effie McClain, said: “Don’t beat the man continually for something that’s been said.” Maybe not “continually,” but he should not be let off the hook so easily, saying something offensive but meaningful for his core constituents and then having his press office issue statements that are less vitriolic and more civil.

Maine is not the most chocolate state in the Union, but the King holiday was never meant to be a federal version of such traditional black celebrations as Emancipation Day or Juneteenth. It was intended to focus attention on the principles King stood for – and that presumably the nation strives for. Even those Tea Baggers who probably drink coffee in the comfort of their homes and trucks. Reagan said: ”So each year on Martin Luther King Day, let us not only recall Dr. King, but rededicate ourselves to the Commandments he believed in and sought to live every day: Thou shall love thy God with all thy heart, and thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself. And I just have to believe that all of us—if all of us, young and old, Republicans and Democrats, do all we can to live up to those Commandments, then we will see the day when Dr. King's dream comes true…”

To make the day palatable to some holdouts, including Arizona (which has flip-flopped over the years), it has become a day for renewing commitment to community service. In 1993, the federal government established the Corporation for National and Community Service to, among other things, coordinate King Day volunteerism opportunities across the country. The day is now the MLK Day of Service. Even the Obamas have taken a prominent role in promoting that aspect of the holiday. This year they volunteered to help fix up a public school building.

Now, I have no problem with that. King was not big on parties and accolades to mark his birthdate, which is actually January 15 but is observed as a federal holiday the third Monday in January. But this is my question, especially to the LePages of this country: Why aren’t Americans expected to volunteer to do good on Presidents Day or Memorial Day or Labor Day or Columbus Day? Why is this day so different from other federal holidays?