A civil rights leader with Northwest ties delivered the invocation at Monday's inauguration in Washington D.C.
U.S. Department of State
Myrlie Evers-Williams
Myrlie Evers-Williams is the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers, and is a former head of the NAACP. She has for many years had a home in Bend.
In her invocation, Evers-Williams called for courageous – but cautious – leadership from the president. Her prayer emphasized the historical context of Barack Obama’s re-election.
"150 years after the emancipation and 50 years after the March on Washington, we celebrate the spirit of our ancestors, which has allowed us to move us from a nation of unborn hopes, and a history of disenfranchised votes, to today’s expression of a more perfect union," she said.
Evers-Williams’ invocation was the first address after President Obama came to the stage – and the last before the Inaugural Address.
