JACKSONVILLE, N.C. (WNCT) – The Onslow County NAACP is hosting the very first Black History Month festival on Feb. 12 in Jacksonville.

The event will be held from 3-6 p.m. at 1121 Commons Drive North in Jacksonville. It will focus on bringing together surrounding communities in efforts to promote education through the use of entertainment.

There will be some live entertainment including poetry from Bri Esoteric and Mariah McClain and singing by Lillian McNeil and Lolly Jackson. Other dance performances include the Jacksonville Soul Steppers, guest speakers Mack Bedard and more.

“There are two important goals for this year’s festival, that we provide a social event that provides the community with an inclusive and entertaining celebration of African-American culture and that we provide an opportunity to learn about the contributions of some of our local and national African-American citizens,” said M. Kenyatta Euring Sr. of Onslow County NAACP Branch #5428.

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities.

Their vision is to ensure a society in which all individuals have equal rights and there is no racial hatred or racial discrimination. The mission is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all people.

The North Carolina Conference of NAACP Branches is 70 years old this year and is made up of over 100 adult, youth, and college NAACP units across the state which convene more the 150 members of the Historic Thousands on Jones Street (HKonJ) Peoples Assembly Coalition and are the architect of the Moral Monday & Forward Together movement.

The Onslow County NAACP is making the futures of members in the community brighter one step at a time and welcomes all people regardless of age, race, and gender.

Euring also said that members of the community can join their monthly general meetings, which are currently held at 6 pm on the third Saturday of each month on Zoom (Meeting ID: 838 9033 4770). These meetings usually include updates on local issues, upcoming events, and educational information for the community.