One point that few people have brought up so far is that the nation will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. just one day before it formally swears in its first African-American president (King’s actual birth date is January 15).
Now, considering how difficult it is to find even a one-way ticket to Washington, DC at a reasonable price for the January 20th events (possibly due to early estimates of at least 1 million people already making plans to attend), Birmingham city officials are planning to bring the inauguration to The Magic City – particularly historic Kelly Ingram Park.
This would undoubtedly also bring renewed national focus to the city’s annual events for the slain Civil Rights leader (including the Unity Breakfast). It also doesn’t seem to be nearly as controversial as plans currently underway in San Francisco for a similar event being organized by NextArts.org.
