At the Dr. MLK Jr. Unity March on Monday, January 16th, hundreds of people on foot and in a stream of decorated vehicles filled the streets in the procession from Lions Park to the Kingsland Train Station.
There was standing room only left in the theater for the duration of the program. The NAACP Camden County Branch extends immense gratitude to our wonderful speakers and performers who created such an enriching and inspiring experience: Emcee Mayor Kizzi Knight, Keynote Speaker Welton Coffey, II, Rev. Walter Spencer, Mr. Frederick Myers, Andrie Phillips & United, Jones-A-Phones, Camden County High School Chorus, and Empire Dancing Divas.
NAACP Camden President Timothy Bessent, Sr. issued this message following the event:
“As we celebrated the legacy of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on January 16th, I was filled with joy to see so many members of our Camden County community show up. It was not a tragedy that brought us together in a place of unity in this instance, but a celebration. I am honored and grateful to all of you, and to our elected officials, who marched or who rode–whether riding in a vehicle or a golf cart. However you chose to participate, we want to say thank you. We will never overlook racism, police brutality, injustice, and the issues in our community that need our urgent and ongoing attention. But on that day, we chose to get in the game and make a difference by embracing joy. The community participation exceeded expectations. It is clearly evident that we can accomplish so much more by working together than when we are divided. I want to salute the Branch’s Freedom Fund Committee led by Michelle Massey. Thank you to Pastor Aubrey Randall and his committee for hosting MLK Day events over the past several years. It was an honor that you trusted to pass the baton to the NAACP branch, and we hope we can build on the momentum established by those who came before. As President, my commitment is that NAACP Camden will continue to fight for and unify our community. Because when we fight, we win. We look forward to continuing to honor MLK Day in the coming years.”
The slideshow below provides a brief look at scenes from the event.