What's Open, What's Closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in East Windsor and Windsor Locks

Monday, Jan. 21, is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a federal holiday on which we pay tribute to the pastor and civil rights leader. The holiday celebrates the birth of King and his legacy.

The Baptist minister from Georgia grew up to be one of the prominent symbols of civil rights and nonviolent civil disobedience in American history. He famously shared these words during what has become known as his "I Have a Dream" speech in 1963.

"From every mountainside, let freedom ring. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!”

When he was 35 years old, King became the youngest person in history to win the Nobel Peace Prize. During his acceptance speech in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 11, 1964, King had this to say:

“Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and
violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge,
aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.”

For other famous and inspirational quotes from King read this post from Jan. 2011.

Here's a look at some of what's open and closed:

• All federal, state and municipal buildings are closed
• East Windsor Public Schools are closed Monday and Tuesday
• Windsor Locks Public Schools are closed
• East Windsor public library (Warehouse Point) is closed
• Windsor Locks Public Library is closed
• Banks are closed
• Post offices are delivering Express Mail only
• The Connecticut DMV is closed
• The U.S. stock markets are closed
• Most businesses are open

Is your business open or closed today? Tell everyone in the comments below and on our Facebook Page and Twitter feed.