The Richmond County Branch of the NAACP will have something extra to celebrate at its 31st annual Mother of the Year Banquet, which takes place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the East Hamlet Community Center.

The organization will also commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the NAACP, which stands for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Friday’s banquet will feature its annual contest of women vying for the title of Richmond County NAACP Mother of the Year; and will recognize students receiving NAACP scholarships.

In addition to the crowning of the winner, the highlight of the program will be the keynote speaker, who will be Dr. Fred McQueen Jr., president of the local branch since 1978.

McQueen earned his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his medical degree from Howard University School of Medicine. He completed his medical internship at Walter Reed Army Hospital.

He has owned his own family practice, McQueen Medical Center in Hamlet, since 1977; and has been affiliated with Sandhills Regional Medical Center (formerly Hamlet Hospital) since that same year. He currently serves as chief of staff at Sandhills Regional.

McQueen has also served as medical director at Britthaven Nursing Facility since 1988.

A member of Old North State Medical Society, he was awarded Doctor of the Year in 1992. He is a member of the American Medical Association, the N.C. Medical Society and the Richmond County Medical Society.

Banquet tickets are $20 each and can be purchased at the door. The East Hamlet Community Center is located on Laurel Hill Street in Hamlet.

Founded on Feb. 12, 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s largest and oldest civil rights organization.