SUFFOLK SUN
On Monday, the Rev. Henry G. Baker and about 55 others will board a bus and head to Richmond. The Suffolk residents plan to spend the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday talking with legislators.
"Rather than a day off, the idea is a day on," said Baker, president of the NAACP's Nansemond-Suffolk branch. "We're going working for civil rights."
NAACP members across the state will participate in Black Legislative Day starting with a 9 a.m. rally outside the General Assembly Building. They plan to meet with legislators to discuss 14 key issues, including increased contracts for black businesses and health care for all.
Members of the NAACP's Nansemond-Suffolk branch plan to leave at 7 a.m. Monday from the parking lot of Fresh Pride at 569 East Constance Road. They'll be back in Suffolk that evening.
Tickets for the bus ride are $20 a person. Call 934-1027 for details.
Taking the trip to Richmond is a "unique way" for residents to continue King's work, Baker said.
"We have to hold legislators accountable for the issues that face black America," he said.
Also on Monday, several hundred people are expected to attend an 11 a.m. citywide celebration at Nansemond River High School in honor of King. The free event will feature a keynote speaker, a choir performance and a reading of King's "I Have a Dream" speech.
A coalition of community members, civic organizations and churches is sponsoring the event, which should last about two hours.
Hattie Brown Garrow, (757) 222-5562, hattie.brown@pilotonline.com
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