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WILMINGTON, Del., Jan 15 (Reuters) - President Joe Biden volition go the archetypal sitting American president to talk astatine a Sunday work astatine Martin Luther King Jr.'s religion successful Atlanta arsenic helium seeks to bolster enactment among African Americans up of an expected tally for re-election successful 2024.
Marking the nationalist vacation celebrating the slain civilian rights leader, Biden volition present a sermon astatine Ebenezer Baptist Church astatine the invitation of its pastor, Democratic U.S. Senator Raphael Warnock of Georgia.
Sunday would person been King's 94th birthday. He was assassinated astatine property 39 successful 1968 successful Memphis, Tennessee, by avowed segregationist James Earl Ray. King was pastor of Ebenezer religion from 1960 until his death.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, erstwhile Atlanta politician and manager of the White House Office of Public Engagement, told reporters connected Friday that Biden "will present remarks reflecting Dr. King's beingness and legacy" and however "we tin spell guardant together."
He volition talk connected a fig of issues "including however important it is that we person entree to our democracy," she said.
Many presidents, including Biden, person visited Ebenezer to grant King, usually during events astir the clip of his birthday. But connected Sunday, Biden would go the archetypal to talk from the pulpit astatine a regular greeting service, according to Lance Bottoms.
On Monday, a nationalist vacation to observe King, Biden volition conscionable with civilian rights advocator Al Sharpton successful Washington, and talk to his group, the National Action Network.
The Atlanta sojourn comes arsenic Biden girds for what is expected to beryllium an announcement of his re-election bid successful the weeks ahead.
Biden was elected successful 2020 with beardown enactment from Black voters aft pledging to bash much to grow voting rights and code different radical justness issues. But immoderate activistic groups boycotted his 2022 code honoring King, disappointed by what they spot arsenic his deficiency of action.
"The president has done and volition proceed to bash each that helium tin bash successful his enforcement powers," Lance Bottoms said. "Now we request Congress to act."
"Ebenezer is simply a cornerstone of the Black assemblage and I'm definite the president volition get an earful connected what our needs and our desires are for our country," she said.
Reporting by Steve Holland; editing by Jonathan Oatis
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