Thousands gathered Monday, January 18 at the State House in Columbia, South Carolina, to commemorate the Martin Luther King holiday. “King Day at the Dome,” an event hosted each year by the South Carolina chapter of the NAACP, began in 2000 to protest the Confederate flag that still flies in front of the State House dome.

This year speakers included Dr. Lonnie Randolph, the President of the South Carolina Conference of the NAACP, NAACP Vice President for Stakeholder Relations Rev. Nelson Rivers, and NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous.

Click here to read President Jealous’ full speech

Click here to read President Jealous’ Op-Ed in The State

Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization. Its more than half-million members and supporters throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil and human rights in their communities, conducting voter mobilization and advocating for equal opportunity in the public and private sectors.