Beyonce has officially been tapped to sing the national anthem at President Obama’s inauguration ceremony on Jan. 21.
The event’s planning committee announced Wednesday that the hot mama will be joined by Kelly Clarkson singing “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” and James Taylor performing “America the Beautiful” at the swearing-in ceremony in Washington, D.C.
Related: $60 Inaugural Ball Tickets Put On Sale Too Early, Sell Out
Myrlie Evers-Williams, the widow of slain civil rights activist Medgar Evers, will also be in attendance to deliver the invocation. Obama’s inauguration, which falls on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, will come nearly 50 years after her husband was gunned down in the driveway of his Mississippi home in 1963.
“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 said in a statement. “It is indeed an exhilarating experience to have the distinct honor of representing that era.”
Since the assassination of her husband, Evers has remained dedicated to the work they began decades ago. She became the first Black woman to serve as commissioner of the Los Angeles Board of Public Works in 1987 and was named chairperson of the NAACP from 1995 to 1998.
Richard Blanco will serve as the inaugural poet, the first Latino and gay person chosen for the role.
