POLITICAL TOLERANCE HYPOTHESES AND WHITE OPPOSITION TO A KING,MARTIN,LUTHER HOLIDAY IN ARIZONA

On November 2, 1983, President Reagan signed into law national legisla tion designating the third Monday in January a national holiday in mem ory of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK). At the end of 1992, except for Ne w Hampshire that had a Civil Rights Day that did not mention MLK speci fically, every state and the District of Columbia (including the U.S. territories of Guam, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands) had established some form of a MLK holiday. However, only Arizona voters decided the h oliday issue via a statewide ballot initiative. Voters finally approve d an initiative in 1992 after rejecting a similar one in 1990. Rejecti on of the 1990 proposal evoked national condemnation and provoked sanc tions from organizations ranging from the National Football League to the National League of Cities. While the white community provided excu ses, the black community reacted with charges of racism. Building on t he traditional literature which links white contributions to black pol itical gains to white political tolerance, this study explores the ext ent to which data gathered from white voters on the holiday support hy potheses drawn from the political tolerance model. Analysis indicate r esults that conform to the expectations of the model. Less educated, o lder, politically conservative, LDS, and rural white Arizonans are les s likely to voice approval for such a holiday.