On Monday, January 16, Martin Luther King Jr. is remembered for his formidable work during the civil rights movement.
The late Baptist minister was born on January 15, 1929, but he is celebrated through a federal holiday that marks his birthday on the 16th.
As this holiday is observed all around the country, some may be wondering what services will be in operation, such as post offices. Here is everything that you need to know.
Are Post Offices Closed on Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2023?
Getty Images/Spencer Platt
The U.S. Postal Service’s post offices will be closed and postal services suspended on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, also known as MLK Day, as it is a federal holiday.
This means that the USPS will not be delivering mail on MLK Day. On their website, the USPS explained: “Post Offices will reopen on Tuesday, Jan. 17, with full mail delivery and retail service.”
The exception is Priority Mail Express, which will be operating on the federal holiday as it is held “every day, all year, with limited exceptions.”
Amazon will be observing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as the holiday is one of the seven paid leave days given to employees. The company will not be delivering mail again until Tuesday, January 17.
The UPS will be open, though, and pickup and delivery services are both available, according to the company’s website. UPS Store locations are also going to be open on the day.
It was noted that “UPS SurePost and UPS Mail Innovations deliveries will require one additional business day’s time in transit due to the Federal (USPS) holiday.”
FedEx services will also be available on MLK Day, with the exception of FedEx Express and FedEx Ground Economy which will have modified service on the day.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is always celebrated on the third Monday of January—closest to the civil rights activist’s birthday. In 2023, this happens to be January 16.
King Jr. helped end racial segregation in U.S. workplaces, on public transport, and in schools by demanding racial equality in America through his tireless campaigning and leading marches throughout the south in the 1950s and 1960s.
This culminated with King Jr. delivering his iconic “I Have A Dream” speech to a crowd of more than 250,000 on the National Mall in Washington D.C.
Though his birthday was approved as a federal holiday in 1983, all 50 states observed it as a government holiday only in 2000.
