NAACP officers and branch members nationwide will take part in many activities to capture the spirit of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (MLK) Jr. this holiday weekend. Large and small events will not only remember the man, his courage, his inspiring words and life-altering actions, but continue the fight of the slain civil rights leader.
King holiday activities got underway earlier this week as NAACP Chairman Julian Bond served as keynote speaker at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration in Everett, Wash. on Wednesday. On Jan. 13 Chairman Bond received the 2008 Humanitarian Award from The Choral Arts Society of Washington (D.C.) during ceremonies at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. The award is designed to document and recognize people who embody the spirit of Dr. King’s message of nonviolent struggle for civil rights.
NAACP Interim President & CEO Dennis Courtland Hayes and NAACP Field Operations Chief Rev. Nelson B. Rivers III will lead the NAACP South Carolina State Conference‘s King Day at the Dome festivities on Sunday in Columbia, S.C. The annual event will focus on education, economic equality, job disparities and continue to push state authorities to remove the Confederate battle flag from state house grounds.
Also in South Carolina, Congressman James E Clyburn, Majority Whip of the U.S. House of Representatives, will be the guest speaker at the MLK Commemoration being held by the Myrtle Beach Branch NAACP on Sunday in the local high school’s auditorium at 2 p.m.
In New York, the Westbury Branch is collaborating with Westbury Public Schools and many community groups to host a tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. The Monday program at the Park Avenue School begins at Noon and will be a cornucopia of the diverse cultures within the Westbury community, celebrating under the theme "America is essentially a dream, a dream as yet unfulfilled. What will it take from us to fulfill the dream?" Performers will sing, dance and deliver oral presentations of personal writings and poems.
The Rome Branch and the Lake Delta and Westmoreland Kiwanis Clubs will co-sponsor the 25th Annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Prayer Breakfast and Devotional Program at 8 a.m. on Monday at the First Presbyterian Church. The program is open to the public. Guests include Rev. Arthur M. Kennedy, Jr, Pastor of Bethany Presbyterian Church in Utica, members of the Rome Free Academy Black History Club and Solid Rock Church.
The annual MLK breakfast, sponsored by the Elmira/Corning Branch, the Society of Black Professionals and the Awareness Quality Information Team of Corning Inc., will be held tomorrow. On Sunday, the branch and the Alliance of Interdenominational Ministers will host a religious program. On Monday, the branch participates in "Making Real the Dream," a program for youth and "Together We Dine," a community program designed to feed the homeless, shut-in etc, sponsored by the Economic Opportunity Program and community agencies, including the NAACP.
NAACP Youth Council members are participating in the MLK Celebration at the Howard T. Herbert Middle School today where the Humanitarian Award will be presented NAACP Lakeview Branch President Bea Bayley. Bayley will also be one of the presenters at the closing ceremonies of the 17th Annual Friendship Games on Monday at Nassau Community College where this year's theme is "Helping to Heal the Wounds of Yesterday by Strengthening the Promise of Tomorrow ~ Running Today's Races in 2008 to Lap the Divide of Race.”
In Tennessee, the Chattanooga Branch, in conjunction with The Unity Group, will host an MLK Prayer Breakfast tomorrow and a Dr. King birthday party for children on Sunday. A series of celebrations will conclude on Monday with a community blood drive, memorial march and celebration program. The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Chapter will host its 2nd Annual MLK March & Ceremony on Sunday. The march will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall leading to a campus auditorium where a program will begin at 7 p.m.
The Cleveland Bradley County Branch in coalition with 100 Black Men, Lee University, Cleveland State Community College and Sodexho Food Services will host the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Celebrations that begin tomorrow and climax with the Dream Keepers Award Ceremony from at 7 p.m. Monday.
The Johnson City-Washington Branch will host a King prayer breakfast tomorrow at Wesley Memorial at 9:30 a.m., continue with MLK story time for ages 5 to 14 at 10 a.m. and a blood drive starting at 1 p.m.--both Carver Recreation Center--and rap the day with a worship service at First Presbyterian Church at 5:30 p.m.
On Monday the Clarksville Branch will host an Essay and Poster Contest at Burt Elementary School. In conjunction with area sororities, the unit will also host advocacy workshops for children and adults. The activities for the day will conclude with the MLK Day parade starting at Noon.
The Hardeman County Branch will celebrate Dr. King’s birthday with a parade tomorrow in downtown Bolivar beginning at 11 a.m. under the theme “Fulfilling His Dream by Uniting the Communities.” On Monday, a countywide celebration will take place at the Green Grove Baptist in Bolivar at 11 a.m. sponsored by Hardeman County NAACP, the West Tennessee District Association and the Hardeman County Commission for Black History.
The Lauderdale Branch is hosting a countywide MLK Oratorical Contest on Sunday at 3 p.m. at Holly Grove Baptist Church in Ripley. The NAACP will award trophies in four categories.
The Jackson Madison County Branch NAACP along with the Jackson Madison County Youth Council and Lane College Chapter will host their King Day celebration Monday with a free memorial breakfast at T.R. White Sportsplex at 8 a.m. and continue with a parade at 9:15 a.m.
In Florida, the Tallahassee Branch is hosting its 23rd Annual MLK Commemorative Breakfast today at the Leon County Civic Center. The event, co-sponsored with the Leon County Schools, honors more than 100 students from local schools who represent the ideals and principles of Dr. King. On Monday, the branch will host its annual Reverend C.K. Steele Sr. Commemoration Service and the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemoration Rally. Events get underway at 10 a.m. at the C.K. Steele Bus Terminal with a message of hope on the theme “Building the Future with a Strong Foundation” from Bishop Reginald K. Peyton, Sr. At 10:30 a.m.,participants will march to the state capital for the MLK Commemorative Rally which starts at 11 a.m. The speaker for the rally will be Andrew Collins, president of the Florida A&M University Chapter NAACP. All of the events are open to the general public.
Other NAACP-related events taking place in the Florida marking King Day include a spelling bee and oratorical contest, candlelight vigils and a youth talent night.
In Illinois, the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday NAACP Diversity Job Fair will be held Monday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Navy Pier in Chicago.
In Missouri, the Mar –Saline Branch will host a King holiday gospel music extravaganza tomorrow evening at Lexington United Methodist Church and a prayer breakfast on Monday at First United Methodist Church New Life Center in Marshall.
In Georgia, the Fayette County Branch, the Fayette County Board of Education and a local chapter of Omega, PSI PHI Fraternity, Inc. co-sponsor the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2008 Holiday Parade and program tomorrow at 11 a.m. near Fayette County High School. A program that includes local youth talent and awards begins immediately after the parade in the F. A. Sams Auditorium.
The Screven County NAACP holds its King Memorial Service on Sunday in Sylvania at St. Andrews A.M.E. Church at 4 p.m.
On Jan. 24 Dr. Francys Johnson, executive director of the Georgia State Conference NAACP, will act as the voice of Dr. King in the Unitarian Universalist Church of Savannah’s "WITH THIS FAITH,” a new and original musical production developed in conjunction with the city-wide Martin Luther King Jr. Observance Day Association's celebration.
Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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