As the first city to designate a paid holiday in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chapel Hill has always celebrated the civil rights activist.
And with fallout from the debate over renaming Airport Road to Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard still lingering, this year will be no exception.
“We feel (the debate) is going to be a tremendous boost,” said Bishop L. Gene Hatley of Barbee’s Chapel Baptist Church. “I think our participation will be greater. The inspiration and motivation are much greater now that something has been done locally.”
Honoring a national civil rights leader locally is the first step in honoring local activists, he said.
Fred Battle, president of the local chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said he hopes the entire celebration will be magnified because of the renaming discussion.
“I think people will come together on that day and celebrate the legacy of King,” Battle said.
Mayor Pro Tem Edith Wiggins said the holiday will have particular meaning for the NAACP because it was the group’s petition that initiated the renaming debate.
In honor of King, the NAACP is organizing a rally at 9:30 a.m. Monday in front of the Franklin Street post office. The rally will be followed by a march down Franklin Street at 10:15 a.m.
The march will end at 11 a.m. at First Baptist Church for the annual Martin Luther King Jr. service. The keynote speaker at the event is the Rev. William J. Barber II.