President-elect Joe Biden‘s Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC) announced the lineup of participants for the presidential inauguration ceremony on Jan. 20. The lineup includes Lady Gaga performing the National Anthem and Jennifer Lopez doing a musical performance.

“I am deeply honored to be joining @BidenInaugural on January 20 to sing the National Anthem and celebrate the historic inauguration of @JoeBiden and @KamalaHarris,” tweeted Gaga

Both Gaga and Lopez showed Biden support on social media throughout his campaign.

The ceremony will also be made up of the invocation, which will be done by Father Leo J. O’Donovan, and the benediction, which will be completed by Rev. Dr. Silvester Beaman, both of whom are close friends of Biden and his family.

The Pledge of Allegiance will be recited by Andrea Hall, president of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), a union that endorsed Biden in the 2020 election. Amada Gorman, the first-ever National Youth Poet Laureate in the U.S. in 2017, will do a poetry reading at the ceremony.

“We are thrilled to announce an inspired group of dynamic participants for the 59th Inaugural Ceremonies,” said Presidential Inaugural Committee CEO, Tony Allen, in a statement. “They represent one clear picture of the grand diversity of our great nation and will help honor and celebrate the time-honored traditions of the presidential inauguration as President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris take the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. They are also committed to the President-elect and the Vice-President-elect’s steadfast vision of a new chapter in our American story in which we are an America united in overcoming the deep divisions and challenges facing our people, unifying the country, and restoring the soul of our nation.” 

The theme of the inauguration festivities is “America United” and features events such as “United We Serve,” a National Day of Service on Jan. 18, Martin Luther King Jr. Day; a nationwide COVID-19 Memorial to Lives Lost on Jan. 19, a wreath laying on Arlington National Cemetery, a “Parade Across America” and a “Celebrating America” primetime program on Jan. 20.

Biden previously talked about how his inauguration ceremony would be scaled down and adapted for COVID-19 and other safety concerns.

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Article by Sarah Huffman

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