MLK Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony Held To Honor Slain Civil Rights Leader

WASHINGTON -- Dignitaries and celebrities participated in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, comedian Dick Gregory and actors Jamie Foxx and Chris Tucker were among those who attended Sunday's event.

Foxx told a crowd that packed the memorial that this is a "spectacular time" for African-Americans.

Sharpton called the weekend an "intersection of history," with the nation's first black president taking the oath of office for a second term the same weekend as the federal holiday commemorating King's life. Sharpton says there was a time when no one believed the country would have either a black president or a federal holiday for a black civil rights leader.

The Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial as seen on Aug. 22, 2011.

Actors Dick Gregory, left, and Chris Tucker attend Martin Luther King Day ceremony under the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington. King is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience.

Actor Jamie Fox, left, and Rev. Jesse Jackson speak under the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on the occasion of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington.

Yolanda Renee, daughter of Martin Luther King III, the son of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., attend a Martin Luther King Day ceremony under the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington.

People attend a Martin Luther King Day ceremony under the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington.

People attend Martin Luther King Day ceremony under the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on Jan. 20, 2013 in Washington.

Occupy protesters pose for a group photo holding a banner of Rosa Parks on Dec. 1, 2011, at the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial.

People gather around the statue of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. at the MLK Memorial on the occasion of Martin Luther King Day on Jan. 20, 2013, in Washington. King is best known for his role in the advancement of civil rights using nonviolent civil disobedience.