Up & Coming Weekly

January 12, 2021

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 13-19, 2021 UCW 11 EVENTS Hallmarks of Inauguration Day a STAFF REPORT e inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th presi- dent of the United States will mark the commence- ment of the four-year term of Biden as president and Kamala Harris as vice president. A public ceremony is scheduled for Jan. 20 on the West Front of the U. S. Capitol Building in Wash- ington, D.C. e event will be the 59th presidential inauguration. Even before a mob stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, planners were working to keep crowds to a minimum to prevent coronavirus spread. e crowd in attendance to witness the oath is reduced from the norm. e usual parade down Pennsylvania Avenue is being replaced by a tele- vised virtual parade that aims to highlight perform- ers from around the country. Also absent this year are the formal balls. In 2009, President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle managed to appear at 10 official balls. In 2017, President Donald Trump and first lady Melania attended 3. e only constitutional requirement for the inau- guration is the president takes the oath of office. e remainder of the proceedings are about tradition, but they are not a requirement. Since the 1981 inau- guration of President Ronald Reagan, the ceremony has taken place on the West Front of the Capitol building facing the National Mall. e Bible is not a requirement for Oath of Office, nor is having a Chief Justice administer the oath. But such components make for a dramatic showcase. Traditionally, the outgoing president takes part in the ceremony, but President Trump said he will not attend the Biden inauguration. It will make him the first president to skip his successor's swearing-in ceremony in 152 years. To date, only three outgoing presidents have refused to accompany the president-elect: John Adams, John Quincy Adams and Andrew Johnson. Following a year like 2020, it is not surprising that this inaugura- tion would have some non-tra- ditional aspects — not the least of which is the fact that Kamala Harris will be the first woman vice president. A quick review of inaugural history reminds us of a few other non-traditional moments. Ulysses S. Grant requested live birds at his inaugural ball. e day was very cold and the birds ended up freezing to death. At the inauguration of Herbert Hoover, outgoing first lady Grace Coolidge and incoming first lady Lou Henry Hoover got lost in the Capitol building and delayed the ceremony for 30 minutes. Lyndon Johnson took the oath aboard Air Force One after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in 1963. e judge administering the oath was a woman, and she was the first and only female judge to swear in a U.S. President. When Barack Obama was sworn in, he became the first African American individual to take the office. Inauguration Day is a momentous occasion for Americans. No matter which side of the political spectrum they fall on, citizens can be proud of its rich and interesting history. MLK Day is a day to serve community a STAFF REPORT Since the 1981 inauguration of President Ronald Reagan, the inauguration has taken place on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C. as shown in this 2009 photo of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. (Photo courtesy Architect of the Capitol) e Martin Luther King Jr. holiday on Jan. 18 celebrates the civil rights leader's life and legacy of nonviolent activism. It is observed each year on the third Monday in January as "a day on, not a day off." MLK Day is the only federal holiday designated as a national day of service to encourage all Americans to volunteer to improve their communities. Historically, the MLK Day of Service might see volunteers deliver meals, refurbish schools and community centers and collect food and clothing. Volunteers also recruit mentors, support job- seekers, build homes and provide other services for veterans and military families, and help citizens improve their financial literacy skills. is year, due to the threat of COVID-19, most celebrations will be virtual. President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President- elect Kamala Harris have included the MLK Day of Service in their inaugural festivities. Volunteers can commit to service projects and sign up on the web- site https://bideninaugural.org/day-of-service/. e website also offers virtual and socially-distant service ideas during the pandemic. Projects include letter writing to seniors in nursing homes, hosting a virtual fundraiser, food or coat donations to shelters and neighborhood cleanups. Dr. King recognized the power of service. He famously said, "Everyone can be great because everybody can serve." Observing MLK Day through service is a way to begin each year with a commit- ment to making your community a better place. Your service honors Dr. King's life and teachings and helps meet community challenges. Service also brings people together of all ages, backgrounds and abilities. e MLK Day of Service encourages all types of service, particularly projects that have a lasting impact and connect participants to ongo- ing service. e most successful projects connect to the life and teaching of Dr. King, meet a pressing community need and include time to reflect on his teachings. Dr. King was a vital figure of the modern era and a pivotal figure in the civil rights movement. His lec- tures and dialogues stirred the concern and sparked the conscience of a generation. His charismatic leadership inspired men and women, young and old, in this nation and around the world. Following in the footsteps of his father, King entered the Christian ministry and was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta. In 1954, after completing graduate studies at Boston University, he accepted a call to serve at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Ala- bama. While there, he was an instrumental leader in the Montgomery Bus Boycott, made famous by the nonviolent resistance and arrest of Rosa Parks. He resigned this position in 1959 and moved back to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Chris- tian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he served as co- pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Despite his status as an advocate for nonviolence, King was gunned down in Memphis, Tennessee while standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel and died on April 4, 1968. A campaign to declare his birthday a national hol- iday was started shortly after King's assassination. However, the holiday was not officially observed un- til 1986, and that observation was not nationwide. It was not until 2000 that all 50 states observed Martin Luther King Day. According to AmeriCorps, Martin Luther King Day is the only federal holiday in the United States designated as a national day of service.

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