Rock star Bono, the 26-year-old who disarmed a gunman in Monterey Park, California last month, and Tire Nichols’ family will be among the main guests, seated alongside First Lady Jill Biden Tuesday’s State of the Union address.
The White House said the guests were invited “because they embody issues or issues that the president wants the president to address in his speech, or because they embody the policies of the Biden-Harris administration in working for the American people.” President Joe Biden should refer to some of the invitees by name during his remarks.
The guests:
– Maurice and Kandice Barron of New York, the parents of a 3-year-old who survived a rare childhood cancer, are to highlight Biden’s Cancer Moonshot Initiative.
– Lynette Bonar of Tuba City, Arizona, a nurse and medical executive who helped bring the first cancer center to a Native American reservation.
– Bono, Irish lead singer of U2, for his advocacy and philanthropic support for global health and AIDS relief efforts.
— Deanna Branch of Milwaukee, whose son was diagnosed with lead poisoning from unsafe drinking water in her home, as Biden intends to replace all lead drinking water pipes in the coming decade.
– Seattle-based Kristin Christensen and Avarie Kollmar, a mother-daughter couple who share their story of caring for their injured husband and father, a Navy veteran.
– Ruth Cohen of Rockville, Maryland, a Holocaust survivor and volunteer at the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, who has warned of rising anti-Semitism.
— Mitzi Colin Lopez of West Chester, Pennsylvania, an advocate for people who were illegally brought to the United States as children and received protection under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
– Maurice “Dion” Dykes of Knoxville, Tennessee, who is training to become a teacher through a program funded by the COVID-19 Relief Act of 2020 after a 25-year career as a graphic designer.
– Kate Foley of Rolling Meadows, Illinois, a 10th grade student who wants to use the skills from her engineering class at school to pursue a career in biomedical engineering.
– Darlene Gaffney of North Charleston, South Carolina, a breast cancer survivor who promotes the importance of early detection and timely cancer screening.
— Doug Griffin of Newton, New Hampshire, who lost his daughter Courtney to a fentanyl overdose in 2014 while the Biden administration works to ramp up federal efforts to combat the opioid epidemic.
– Saria Gwin-Maye of Cincinnati, an ironworker who will work on the federally supported revitalization of the Brent Spence Bridge.
– Jacki Liszak of Fort Myers, Fla., who met with the President and First Lady after Hurricane Ian and whose company will benefit from federal climate resilience funding.
— Harry Miller of Upper-Arlington, Ohio, a mechanical engineering student and former Ohio State University soccer player who quit soccer to prioritize his mental health.
– Gina and Heidi Nortonsmith of Northampton, Massachusetts, plaintiffs in Goodridge vs. MA Dept. of Public Health, who paved the way for legalizing same-sex marriage in their state.
— Paul Pelosithe husband of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who was seriously injured days before the midterm elections by a man with a hammer allegedly trying to harm the California legislature.
– Paul Sarzoza of Phoenix, owner of a cleaning and building services business that benefits from service companies investing in high-tech manufacturing in his area.
– Brandon Tsay of San Marino, California, who disarmed the gunman responsible for the deaths of 11 people in Monterey Park, Californialast month during the Lunar New Year celebrations to prevent further deaths.
— RowVaughn and Rodney Wells of Memphis, Tennessee, mother and stepfather of Tire Nichols, who died last month after being severely beaten by Memphis policeprompting a renewed call for police reform legislation.
– Amanda and Josh Zurawski of Austin, Texas, who found that due to the Texas anti-abortion ban, doctors were unable to intervene after their waters ruptured prematurely at 18 weeks of pregnancy. Amanda Zurawski developed sepsis and nearly died from delaying treatment as Biden administration tries to highlight consequences the repeal of Roe v. Wade through the Supreme Court last year.
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