POCATELLO — The Pocatello Branch of the NAACP has events all week to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Starting earlier this week, the branch had presentations by both the American Civil Liberty Union of Idaho and the Idaho Human Rights Commission.

On Wednesday, Fair Housing Month will be celebrated as we recommit to the ideals also inspired by Dr. King to eliminate housing discrimination and create equal opportunity in every community.

On Thursday, Mona Heern will facilitate a discussion about “Racism: America’s Most Challenging Issue.” Her presentations raise awareness about the challenges faced by people of color in our communities and encourage teachers to create classroom environments that embrace the beauty of racial and cultural diversity.

On Saturday, a choral celebration and tribute to Dr. King will be hosted at the Pocatello High School Auditorium. Reflection Choir, Praise Ensemble and three choirs from our local middle schools will perform. We hope that the community will turn out for all the events, especially our Musical Celebration by the Choirs, Monroe.

“Where do we go from here?” is the theme for the year-long commemoration of Dr. King’s assassination. This was the name of Dr. King’s final book as well as the title of the speech he delivered Aug. 16, 1967, at the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. In 2018, our desire is not simply to reflect and recount the history, but to connect the history to contemporary issues.