An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr.

An All-Star Celebration Honoring Martin Luther King, Jr. aired on NBC to mark the first Martin Luther King Jr. Day—January 20, 1986—a United States federal holiday honouring the legacy of the American civil rights leader. Hosted and executive produced by Stevie Wonder, it aired live from Washington’s Kennedy Center, Atlanta’s Civic Center in Atlanta, and New York’s Radio City Music Hall, and included performances by Diana Ross, Lionel Richie, Eddie Murphy, Bette Midler, Neil Diamond, and others. As Rolling Stone later noted, the evening was “a triumphant climax for Wonder’s nearly decade-long quest to ensure that his hero’s birthday was honored as a national holiday.”