FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Le Roi Brashears, Chapel Hill Carrboro NAACP Branch
Phone: 253-347-5742
Email: leroibrashears@gmail.com
LOCAL BELL TOLL AND WALK TO HONOR KING’S LIFE AND LEGACY
Chapel Hill Carrboro NAACP Branch Invites Local Schools and Congregations to Join
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP Religious Affairs Committee is encouraging area schools and congregations to participate in a local bell toll and solemn walk April 4 as part of the national observance of the murder of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
The date marks the 50th anniversary of King’s death, and the National Civil Rights Museum’s MLK50 Bell Toll event is letting communities around the world pay homage to his legacy.
Participating churches and campuses will ring their bells 39 times to honor the number of years of Dr. King’s life, while acknowledging the loss as well as the great contributions he gave to the world stage.
The local event will start at 5:30 p.m. with a walk that begins at the Silent Sam statue in McCorkle Place on UNC’s campus and concludes with a commemorative program at Peace and Justice Plaza on Franklin Street starting at 5:50 p.m.
The tolling of the bells will occur at 6:01 p.m. and other portions of the program include:
● A performance by the UNC Gospel Choir, and Mu Zeta Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., singing the Alpha hymn in a special tribute.
● Audio of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand” by Mahalia Jackson.
● An excerpt of Dr. King’s “Drum Major Instinct” sermon.
###
Editor’s note: This idea for this event originated at the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis. They are starting their commemoration at 6:01 p.m. CST. We decided to start ours at 6:01 p.m. EST because that is almost an iconic point in the breadth of lore on Dr. King’s life and we believe we may get a bigger audience than we would at 7:01 p.m. For more information on the National Civil Rights Museum’s MLKL50 Bell Toll, please visit its website.