Getting to the promised land: How former state lawmaker Wilma Webb created MLK Day in Colorado

This coming Monday, we celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death,” King said in his 1967 speech “Beyond Vietnam.” King gave the speech at the height of the Vietnam War and it is a window into his fuller legacy — one that was not only defined by peaceful protest and calls for unity. He also critiqued capitalism, American imperialism and the ways our policies abroad hurt people near and far. We have come a long way in understanding King’s life and work, and the federal holiday bearing his name is an annual tradition celebrated across the country — a reminder to dig deeper into King’s words and actions. But it wasn't always this way.In fact, a state law to honor King’s birthday wasn’t passed in Colorado until 1984. It took years of work at the hands of former state lawmaker Wilma Webb.KUNC senior managing editor Stephanie Daniel spoke with Webb a couple years ago about her efforts. Today, we revisit that conversation.Celebrate MLK Day in Denver during the Dr, Martin Luther King Marade. In Boulder, the Motus Theater hosts an event honoring King’s radical legacy. In Fort Collins, head to Colorado State University for a march to the Lincoln Center. Then on January 22, CU Boulder hosts a MLK Day convocation.