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President Barack Obama will deliver his final State of the Union address on Tuesday, joined by dozens of guests ranging from a Syrian refugee to a co-founder of Black Lives Matter. A seat will also be left empty to commemorate victims of gun violence.
Many other special guests will be scattered among the crowd, some reflective of the contentious political victories the president has earned. Embattled Kentucky county clerk Kim Davis, who was jailed after refusing to issue gay couples marriage licenses, is slated to attend, as are nuns vehemently opposed to the Affordable Care Act.
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Take a look at some of the invitees, and tune in live to the State of the Union at 9 p.m. ET.
Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza
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Alicia Garza, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, was invited by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.). Garza sent out a tweet last week about the invitation, lauding Lee over her advocacy "against war and militarism, and [for] Black liberation."
Football coach Jim Harbaugh
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Jim Harbaugh, head coach of the University of Michigan football team, will attend as a guest of Michigan Reps. Justin Amash (R) and Debbie Dingell (D).
County clerk Kim Davis
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Kim Davis, the Kentucky county clerk who was jailed after refusing to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, has been invited to the event by the anti-marriage equality Family Research Council. Jim Obergefell, the plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that led to the legalization of gay marriage, will also be in the audience as a guest of the president.
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Representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations
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Two representatives from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, Sameena Usman and Nezar Hamze, will attend as guests of Reps. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) and Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.). The invitations come after several party leaders have called for Democrats to bring Muslim-Americans to the address.
Ahmed Shedeed, prominent Muslim leader from New Jersey
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Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) has invited Ahmed Shedeed, the president of the Islamic Center of Jersey City and a leader at one of the largest mosques in the state. Following a growing wave of Islamophobia in 2015, Booker wrote that Shadeed "has spoken out for religious tolerance and mutual understanding. His life and his work are examples of how the diversity of America makes us all better."
Nuns opposed to Obamacare
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Two Catholic nuns have been invited by House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.). Sister Loraine Marie Maguire and Sister Constance Veit will represent The Little Sisters of the Poor, who oppose Obamacare's mandate that group insurance plans offer birth control.
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The doctor who discovered brain injuries in NFL players
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Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic pathologist who discovered a brain disease in NFL players, has been invited by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.). Omalu's tale of discovering Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy is the focus of the new film "Concussion," starring Will Smith.
A homicide detective who lost his daughter to gun violence
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Gregory Key, a detective from West Palm Beach, was invited by Rep. Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), pictured here. Key's daughter died after being gunned down in a drive-by shooting nine years ago, and Frankel said she extended the invitation to reflect the families affected by gun violence.
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