PORTLAND — The NAACP Portland Branch will hold a series of events, starting this weekend, in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Jan. 16.

On Saturday afternoon, the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People will host a community dialogue and a march.

The discussion, “Economic Crisis in Our Own Backyard,” will run from 2 to 4 p.m. at the Preble Street Resource Center at 5 Portland St. Mayor Michael Brennan and other city leaders are expected to participate.

The March for Justice will start at 4:15 p.m. at Preble Street and proceed to City Hall.

On Sunday, the group will host a free concert at Merrill Auditorium from 6 to 8 p.m. Admission is  $5 per person.

The program will include the Pihcintu Multinational Children’s Chorus, the Burundi Batimbo Beat Drummers, Congolese Singers, Women in Harmony and the Music Ministry of Green Memorial AME Zion Church.

On Monday, the group will hold the 31st annual MLK Holiday Breakfast Celebration from 8 to 10:30 a.m. at the Holiday Inn by the Bay on Spring Street. The cost is $25 per person.

Speakers will address how education, health care and the economy affect equality in Maine.

A separate program for children ages 5 to 12 will focus on the importance of living a healthy life to reach one’s full potential and help others. The cost is $15 per child.

Staff Writer Kelley Bouchard can be contacted at 791-6328 or at: kbouchard@pressherald.com

Correction: This story was revised at 4:25 p.m., Jan. 11, 2012, to state that Sunday’s free concert at Merrill Auditorium will have a $5 admission charge