Cherokee Nation recognize Martin Luther King Jr. Day for first time

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) -Anti-poverty activists in New Mexico and a groundbreaking Cherokee Nation declaration about the tribe’s role in promoting equality are part of the focus of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations.

At gatherings across the nation, activists, residents and teachers are honoring the late civil rights leader ahead of the 50th anniversary of his assassination in Memphis, Tennessee.

Officials of the Oklahoma-based Cherokee Nation are recognizing the holiday for the first time and plan to openly address the tribe’s history as slave owners. Months ago, a federal judge ruled Cherokee Freedman have the same rights to citizenship as native Cherokees.

In Atlanta, the Rev. Bernice King, will be the keynote speaker at a commemorative service honoring her father at Ebenezer Baptist Church.