NAACP plans 2 events as part of King holiday

The Little Rock branch and the Arkansas State Conference of the NAACP will present two events to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday.

The Arkansas Inaugural Exclusive Gala will be held Sunday to honor several people, including NAACP State Conference President Dale Charles and his wife, C. Diane Charles, as well as ministers and other leaders across Arkansas, including the Rev. Jesse Turner of Pine Bluff.

The event will be held at the Hilton Garden Inn Little Rock Downtown hotel, 322 Rock St., from 4:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be the Rev. C. Dennis Edwards, senior pastor, St. John Baptist Church, Little Rock.

Tickets and additional information are available online at wehavedecidedtobeunited.com.

The NAACP’s 35th annual march-parade, or “marade,” will take place on the holiday Monday. The route begins at 33rd and Chester streets at 10 a.m. and ends at the state Capitol.

The NAACP annual program after the march-parade will begin at 12 noon on the steps of the Capitol. Scheduled guest speakers include Gov. Asa Hutchinson and the Rev. Ronnie Floyd Sr. Floyd is pastor of Cross Church in Rogers and is president of the National Day of Prayer Task Force.

The event theme is titled “We Have Decided To Be Undivided.”

More information is available from the NAACP office at (501) 376-2227.