Myrlie Evers-Williams, widow of slain civil rights advocate Medgar Evers and a tireless civil rights advocate herself, has been selected to deliver the invocation at President Obama’s inauguration January 21.
The invocation is the public prayer opening the official ceremony. Evers-Williams (shown above) is believed to be the first woman and the first non–clergy member to deliver the inaugural invocation.
After the 1963 murder of her husband by a white supremacist, Evers-Williams fought for justice in the killing and later became chairwoman of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the United States’ oldest and largest civil rights organization.
President Obama, in a statement, said Evers-Williams’ career is inspiring and reflects his ideal of pursuing justice, equality and opportunity for all Americans.
Evers-Williams said in a statement that she is both “humbled” and “exhilarated” by the honor, “especially in light of this historical time in America when we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement.”
No comments:
Post a Comment