Wreath-laying Ceremong at King memorial on the National Mall

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Hundreds of people are attending a wreath-laying ceremony at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall.

Dignitaries and celebrities at Sunday's event include the Rev. Al Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, the Rev. Jesse Jackson, comedian Dick Gregory and actors Jamie Foxx and Chris Tucker.

Sharpton calls this 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. He says we have both today because of "struggles ... and bloodshed and folks who would not turn around."