In keeping with the College of Charleston’s commitment to diversity on its campus, and in celebration of 2015-Black History Month, the Office of Institutional Diversity (OID) will host Rep.
Rep. Sellers
Bakari Sellers, Esq., as the keynote speaker for its “Signature Speaker Series.” Rep. Sellers will speak on Thursday, February 5, 2015, at 5:00 p.m., in the Stern Center Ballroom, located on the College of Charleston campus (71 George St.). The event is free and open to the public. Rep. Sellers will present “How far have we come and where do we go from here?: A Journey to excellence….”
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Elected in 2006 to the South Carolina House of Representatives at the age of 22, Bakari Sellers is an attorney, one of the youngest State Representatives, and the youngest black elected official in the United States. Viewing himself, not as a politician, but as a public servant, Sellers is a passionate keynote speaker on civil rights, equality, education, and faith.
READ: Rep. Sellars was recognized as one of the top 40 under 40 by Time Magazine.
Education has always been a top priority for Sellers. He graduated from the South Carolina public school system and then proceeded to Morehouse College, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. While at Morehouse college, Sellers was elected Student Government Association President and, by virtue of his position, served on the College’s Board of Trustees. He earned his juris doctorate from the University of South Carolina School of Law and soon entered politics, working for United States Congressman James Clyburn, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, and the Southeastern Regional Director of the NAACP.
With the strong moral and ethical grounding of his parents and grandparents, the never-ending thirst for education of his mother, and the undying passion for equal opportunity of his father, Sellers has returned to South Carolina. He hopes to continue the Sellers’ legacy of walking in faith, while creating change that benefits all persons—no matter the race, color, or creed.
According to Dr. John Bello-Ogunu, Sr., associate vice president and chief diversity officer at the College of Charleston, “We are very fortunate to have Rep. Sellers as our 2015-Black History Month keynote speaker. The rich and enviable history of his personal and professional accomplishments is a significant connecting bridge between the painful history of yesterday’s struggles of Blacks in America and the hope-filled stories of their present day victories and successes.”
OID’s Signature Speaker Series was created to promote community dialogue on diversity and social justice issues through presentations, workshops and seminars by local, regional and national speakers with the ultimate goal of advancing diversity, access, equity and inclusion at the College of Charleston.
