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Martin Luther King Jr

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Plum Students Celebrate Black History Month

Plum School District students celebrated Black History Month throughout February.

Today is the last day of Black History Month, which is celebrated in the U.S. throughout the month of February. American historian Carter G. Woodson established Black History Week to commemorate the contributions that people of African descent have made to our nation. The first celebration occurred on Feb. 12, 1926. For many years, the second week of February was set aside for the celebration to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist and editor Frederick Douglass. In 1976, as part of the nation’s bicentennial, the week was expanded into Black History Month. Each year, U.S. presidents declare February National African-American History Month. Here's a look at what some Plum Borough School District students did to …

Monday, January 21, 2013

Martin Luther King Jr. Day—What's Open, Closed in Plum-Oakmont

Tell us what this holiday means to you and how you will celebrate?

Today, Jan. 21, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Students in the Riverview and Plum school districts are off of school, there's no mail delivery, most banks are closed and all federal offices are closed. The Plum, Oakmont and Verona borough offices are open, and Waste Management is operating on its normal service schedule. The Holiday's History Martin Luther King Jr. Day, now a U.S. holiday, took 15 years to create. Legislation was first proposed by Congressman John Conyers (D-Michigan) four days after King was assassinated in 1968. The bill was stalled, but Conyers, along with Rep. Shirley Chisholm (D-New York), pushed for the holiday every legislative session until it was finally passed in 1983, following civil rights marches in Washington…

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