After the tragic death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Samuel L. Woodard is credited with calling a Philadelphia newspaper and explaining his rationale for why there should be a national holiday recognizing the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. At the time, Woodard was an assistant professor of education at Temple. Woodard was also a member of the same fraternity as Dr. King, which helped serve as a platform to disseminate his message. Alpha Phi Alpha was the first intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity that African-American men could be members of, which also provided a network of support for Woodard to present his case for Dr. King's national recognition. After 15 years of campaigning for this national holiday alongside Stevie Wonder and John Conyers, Woodard saw his hard work pay off in 1983, as President Ronald Reagan signed their efforts into law.
Photo taken by: Robert Smith, courtesy of the Buffalo History Museum