The NAACP Boston branch will host “Freedom Weekend” this Friday and Saturday to kick off the 111th National NAACP Convention, which was supposed to take place in Boston in late July but instead will proceed in a virtual format from August 2-15.

The weekend will begin with a Drive-In Soul Music Concert to be held on Friday, July 31 from 6-9 p.m. at the UMass Boston Bayside Lot. Space is very limited due to COVID-19 precautions, so those interested are encouraged to register early and arrive early. The event will also be livestreamed. You can register your vehicle for the concert here.

Freedom Weekend will continue on Saturday, August 1 with a "Day of Action and Service" from 1-4 p.m., during which virtual and in-person volunteer opportunities will be available. Virtual opportunities will include Census and Voting Awareness phone banking, while in-person opportunities--which will take place at locations in Roxbury, Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, and Hyde Park--include neighborhood beautification, Boston Public Schools support, food banking, and voter education. You can register as a volunteer here.

Freedom Weekend will be followed by Freedom Week, which will include a series of virtual round tables with Boston area perspectives on national issues. To learn more, register, or view a full schedule events, visit naacpboston.com.