President Barack Obama has selected Myrlie Evers-Williams and Louie Giglio to deliver the prayers at his Jan. 21 swearing-in ceremony, according to a release from the Presidential Inauguration Committee.
Evers-Williams is the widow of Medgar Evers, an NAACP field secretary who was shot in his driveway in 1963 by a white supremacist. Evers-Williams worked for decades to bring her husband's killer to justice -- he was convicted in 1994.
"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 this historical time in America when we will celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Civil Rights Movement," Evers-Williams said in a statement.
According to the Washington Post, Evers-Williams may be the first woman and non-clergy member ever selected to deliver the invocation at the inauguration.
Giglio is the pastor of the Passion City Church in Atlanta. “It is my privilege to have the opportunity to lead our nation in prayer at the upcoming inauguration in Washington, DC,” he said in a statement. “During these days it is essential for our nation to stand together as one. And, as always, it is the right time to humble ourselves before our Maker."
