(CNN) — An Atlanta pastor and the widow of slain civil rights leader Medgar Evers will deliver the invocation and benediction at President Barack Obama’s inauguration January 21, two inauguration officials confirmed to CNN Tuesday.
The officials, who requested anonymity because the details were not yet public, said that Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of Megar Evers, was an example for the nation.
“Following her husband’s murder she worked tirelessly not only for justice for his murder but for justice for the nation as well,” one source said.
Louie Giglio, a pastor and the leader of the Passion Movement, was chosen because he’s a “powerful voice for ending human trafficking and global sex slavery” and due to his work in mobilizing young people for that effort, said one of the sources.
Giglio is one of the most prominent voices in evangelical Christianity. Friday, the Passion Movement wrapped up its annual conference for college students in Atlanta. More than 60,000 students gathered for the event and vowed to end global slavery. They raised $3 million for charities that work to stop slavery and who aid those coming out of it.
A formal announcement on the speakers is expected later Tuesday from the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
The selections were first reported by the Washington Post.
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