The president and first lady...just a couple of hours ago...sharing their first dance...of his second term...as President of the United States.

Good evening, everyone.

I'm Frank Malloy.

And I'm Leah Johnson.

Today... we observe not only the inauguration of President Barack Obama... But a day honoring the civil rights leader that many say... paved the way for this administration to happen in the first place.

A lot to celebrate... and tonight...that's exactly what the President and First Lady...and Vice President and wife Dr. Jill Biden...are doing.

One of the most talked-about events...

the commander-in chiefs ball... which started off with recognition of our men and women in uniform.

Then, as is custom, the first and second couples dance with members of the armed forces... but not before the president and Mrs. Obama stole a first dance.

Now this event is where we also typically see some major headliners entertaining.

This year...quite a roster... Alicia Keys, Brad Paisley, Jamie Fox, Jennifer Hudson...and Marc Anthony.

But it's not as though the President gets to stop at one party and spend a leisurely evening.

On schedule tonight... a public ball, downstairs at the same location... another one upstairs... and a few other pit stops where he and Mrs. Obama are expected to greet dignitaries and thank supporters.

Now this is a day that started early.

In fact... for some observers of history, it started yesterday. Early crowds lined the national mall up Constitution Avenue... and Independence Avenue packing in the greenspace in front of the United States Capitol.

Only so many could get close to the actual inaugural platform... so others had to position themselves in front of the giant jumbotrons that allowed them to see and hear the ceremony.

Monitors were placed as far away as the end of the mall... near the Smithsonian's Museum of American History.

And as the masses converged... President Obama and his family continued a White House tradition, beginning inauguration day with prayer and reflection.

He and the First Lady, along with daughters Sasha and Malia, attended a church service at Saint John's Episcopal Church near the White House.

That's been a custom for generations of presidents, because it's so close to the Blair House... which is where new, incoming presidents usually live until they take office.

Vice President Joe Biden and his family also attended.

Then...it was on to the Capitol...for the ceremonial swearing in.

That's because...the official oaths were actually taken yesterday...as required...on January 20th.

Because the 20th was on a Sunday ... Those ceremonies were small... with just a few dozen heads of state on hand as witnesses.

Then today... Came the fanfare with the Vice President... as tradition dictates...taking his oath first.

That's Justice Sonia Sotomayor administering the oath... and that in itself presented an inaugural first.

She is the first Hispanic to perform the honors.

She's also the first Hispanic to serve on the Nation's Highest Court..

Chief Justice John Roberts stepped in to swear in the President.

<Roberts: Please raise your right hand...and repeat after me. I, Barack Hussein Obama, do solemnly swear, that I will faithfully execute...

President: That I will faithfully execute...

Roberts: The office of president of the united states...

President: The office of president of the United States...

Roberts: and will to the best of my ability...

President: And will will to the best of my ability...

Roberts: preserve, protect, and defend...

President: preserve, protect ,and defend...

Roberts: the constitution of the United States...

President: the constitution of the United States...

Robert: So help you God?

President: So help me God.

Roberts: Congratulations, Mr. President.

<CHEERS!!!!>

And the oath concludes with ruffles and flourishes.

As you saw the President sworn in... you may have noticed... He placed his hand on two Bibles...

One was from Abraham Lincoln...

The other from Martin Luther King, Jr.

And how else would you cap off a ceremony....other than with a parade?

The video you're seeing here is president Obama's high school band...thousands of miles away from home...

They flew in from Hawaii to pay their respects.

We're not sure if a young Barack Obama earned the "most Likely to Succeed" designation in his senior yearbook.

But we're pretty sure he's got "most successful graduate" locked down at his next reunion.

Also in Dc...the marching band from Georgia State.

The Panthers left last week...to spend a couple of days taking in history before stepping off in the inaugural parade.

We've spent a lot of time talking about the president's inauguration..

When we come back...we shift from one leader to another.

Some words from the city of Macon's top elected official on the Martin Luther King Junior Day...

 

Plus... Proof that even our youngest generations....haven't forgotten the legacy...

< Free at last... Free at last...>

We'll tell you who this young man is...and explain why his presentation of Dr. King's "I have a Dream Speech" was doubly impressive.

As we go to break... Tonight's fan of the day is Mable Smith.

Email fan of the day at 13wmaz dot com to claim your coffee mug.

If you want to be fan of the day... Just visit facebook dot com slash 13WMAZ... Become a fan and join the conversations.

We pick the fan of the day randomly.

< My four little children will one day live in a nation where they will no longer be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. >

Almost 45 years after America lost Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, the heartbeat of his legacy was strong today in Central Georgia.

There were church services... Lectures...and marches.

One in Macon ... Worked a little differently...with marchers starting at four different points...and meeting in unity in front of Macon City Hall.

There...they joined for a program, during which Macon Mayor Robert Reichert addressed the crowd...pulling inspiration from the President's speech today...from the Declaration of Independence... and from Dr. King himself.

< Express our allegiance...to the principles contained in the Declaration of Independence... Endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights... Among these being life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. He is continuing to challenge us today... To build a more perfect union... and together we can build a more perfect union... So it is most appropriate that we today... Commemorate the past...celebrate the present...and commit ourselves...to the future." >

Another local leader paused to express what King's Dream meant to her.

That's Dr. Thelma Dillard...member of the Bibb County Board of Education.

But before she ever dreamed of holding office... she dreamed of something else.

Here's part of Leah's conversation with her.

<

"I was a teenager and it was an exciting moment in my life. Dr. King was big in my mind and when he pressed upon the issues that he felt was important to our nation going forward, Dr. King's movement was non-violence and that was the whole feeling that he had. That no matter what goes on is that we should have non-violence. Give me your feedback on from there, to now as far as some of the things that you are proud of seeing? We have come a long way and I am very proud of that, that we've made great strides in race relations. We made great strides in that we can now sit in the front of the bus. One of the things that I'm most excited about is the fact that we have a voting rights act that was passed and voting is more accessible now. I'm very proud of that. But of course my disappointment is that with all of that accessibility of voting, that we are not going out to vote in large numbers. That is a responsibility.

I am proud of where we have come in terms of education. We have better resources but we have not used those to the best of our ability because the drop out rate is so high and the graduation rate is so low. We have improved in education but we still have a ways to go as well. . Everyone should be respected. Education is important. When you educate the community and when you educate your child, we have a better community. We understand who everybody is.

>

You can watch the rest of that interview online...at 13WMAZ.com...or on your I-Pad.

Download our 13WMAZ ap now...it's free in the AP store.

It's not uncommon that a grade school student would study the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.

He or she might be able to tell you about some of the marches he led... Or recognize him by his iconic "I have a dream" speech.

But one first grader took his proficiency in civil rights history to a whole new level today.

We showed you a little bit of this at six. Listen to Ashton Young...a first grader at MA Evans Grade School.

Even on inauguration day... the first family...is still *that*. A family.

And today...the first daughters found time to be typical young ladies...

A little time for a text..or perhaps even a I-phone picture.

And... Who better to get a cheer or two out of the president...than his loving wife?

< pause as first lady grabs pres's hand>

There we go... that's how it's done.

<pause for shot of Sasha>

And...what's a big event... Without a shout out to your friends...

< ad lib >