US embassy to close on Sunday

AMMAN — The US embassy in Amman will be closed on Sunday, January 19, in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

In a statement e-mailed to The Jordan Times, the embassy said normal hours of operation will resume on Monday, January 20.

An American clergyman, activist and leader of the Civil Rights Movement, King led the 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in 1957, serving as its first president.

King’s efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington, where he delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech.

In 1964, he received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolence, the statement said.

President Ronald Reagan signed a bill in 1983 creating a federal holiday to honour King.

Observed for the first time in 1986, it is celebrated each year on the third Monday of January.