As hundreds of thousands of Americans prepare to flock to Washington, D.C. in the coming weeks, the White House has announced that Myrlie Evers-Williams will deliver the invocation while Rev. Louie Giglio will give the benediction at the Inaugural swearing-in ceremony of President Obama and Vice President Biden on Monday, January 21.
According to a press release, the President had a hand in selecting the participants and says he’s honored to have Evers-Williams and Giglio be there. “Their voices inspired many people across this great nation within the faith community and beyond,” said Obama. “Their careers reflect the ideas that the Vice President and I continue to pursue for all Americans—justice, equality, and opportunity.”
Evers-Williams said today, “I am humbled to have been asked to deliver the invocation for the 57th inauguration of the President of the United States—especially in light of his historical time in America when we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement. It is indeed an exhilarating experience to have the distinct honor of representing that era.”
Evers-Williams is the widow of Medgar Evers, the NAACP’s Mississippi Field Secretary who was tragically killed in the driveway of his Jackson, Mississippi home in 1963. Since his death, she has worked to seek justice and to preserve her late husband’s name. Evers-Williams not only served as the chair of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998 but is the author of several books and has received a number honorary degrees and awards.