Three well-known Vineyard residents will be recognized for outstanding community service and a noted author and history professor will deliver the keynote address at the 26th annual Martin Luther King Jr. membership and awards dinner on Monday night, Jan. 17 at the Harbor View Hotel in Edgartown.

The annual event is sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard branch of the NAACP.

A social hour begins at 5 p.m. with a jazz performance by Jeremy Berlin, a silent auction and book signing by guest speaker Dr. Patricia Sullivan of her book Lift Every Voice: The NAACP and the Making of the Civil Rights Movement. The book is a history of the struggle for civil rights told through the stories of men and women who fought racial barriers from the early 1900s through the 1960s. Dr. Sullivan is a history professor at the University of South Carolina and a fellow at the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute at Harvard University.

Jakki
Jacki Hunt. — Mark Alan Lovewell

Following the dinner, which begins at 6 p.m., there will be an installation of the new officers and an awards ceremony honoring longtime branch members for their commitment and outstanding service over the years to the Vineyard community and the Island chapter of the NAACP. This year’s recipients are W. Leo Frame Jr., E. Jacqueline Hunt and Donald Mayhew.

Martin Luther King Jr. day was declared a federal holiday by an act of Congress in 1983. The first holiday was observed in 1986. That year the Vineyard chapter of the NAACP held its first Martin Luther King dinner at the Sacred Heart Parish Church under the leadership of former president E. Jacqueline Hunt, the first female president of the branch. From 1965 to 1985 the local branch held annual fellowship dinners at the Trinity Methodist Parish House during the month of February.

Donald
Donald Mayhew. — Mark Alan Lovewell

For the past 26 years the Martin Luther King dinner has been held at different venues, including St. Augustine’s Church, Anthony’s Restaurant, Lola’s Restaurant, the Oyster Bar, Deon’s Restaurant and the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center. Previous speakers have included world-renowned and local advocates. Program activities have included art exhibits, book signings, youth recitals, poetry readings and musical performances by folk singers, the NAACP singers and the spiritual choir. Certificates of merit and commendations have been awarded to outstanding branch members, local newspapers, high school students and community heroes from all walks of life.

All are invited join this celebration honoring the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and recognizing the achievements of community members Leo Frame, Jacki Hunt and Donald Mayhew.

Tickets are $70 for adults and include a membership to the NAACP. Youth tickets are $50. For ticket information, call 508-696-5785. The chairman of the event is Colleen Elizabeth Morris.