Recipients
Invitations were sent to the chiefs of diplomatic missions to the United States and their spouses but not to any other representatives of foreign countries. As a result, North Korea's offer to send a senior envoy was rejected. The Tuskegee Airmen were among the invited guests for the inauguration. The five-person crew of US Airways Flight 1549, including pilot Chesley Sullenberger, were also invited. Entertainment industry figures such as Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Steven Spielberg, Magic Johnson, Dustin Hoffman, Muhammad Ali, John Cusack, and Oprah Winfrey received invitations, as well as politicians such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Governor of California; Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy; and Arizona Senator John McCain. The invitiation to Evangelical pastor Rick Warren drew some criticism.
Eighty-seven-year-old Sarah Obama led a group of Obama's Kenyan relatives from his father's home village of Kogelo. Other relatives traveling to Washington from Kenya as guests included Obama's aunt Maggie Obama and an uncle, Said Obama.
Members of the general public also received invitations to the inaugural ceremony. Invitations were sent to constituents, who received one of the 240,000 color-coded tickets to the inaugural ceremony distributed by House and Senate congressional members of the 111th U.S. Congress.
Read more about this topic: Invitations To The Inauguration Of Barack Obama
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