WBRZ - Baton Rouge

ATLANTA - Even as President Barack Obama is inaugurated in Washington, the nation also honors civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.

Several dozen people took turns taking pictures with the statue of King and reading his quotes inscribed along the wall at a Washington memorial before heading to the National Mall, about a 15-minute walk away.

A quirk in the calendar pushed Obama's public swearing-in onto the national holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader.

Nicole Hailey, who drove to the inauguration with her family from Monroe, N.C., made a point of stopping at the memorial first, saying, "We're just celebrating freedom."

In Atlanta, the King Center is hosting its annual commemoration featuring the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. It's the first time a Latino leader has served as the keynote speaker for the commemorative service on the King holiday.