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CNN political analyst, attorney, activist and former representative from South Carolina, Bakari Sellers, will serve as the keynote speaker for Tuskegee University’s 2021 Spring Commencement exercises, to be held Sunday, May 30, 2021, at Cramton Bowl Stadium in Montgomery, Alabama.
"We are looking forward to a dynamic speech by Mr. Sellers’,” said Tuskegee University Interim President, Dr. Charlotte P. Morris. “His activism and dedication to public service will serve as inspiration for our graduates as they embark upon their careers and lives."
Sellers was born into an activist family. His father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, instilled core values in him to continue in the tireless commitment to service.
In 2005, Sellers earned a bachelor's degree in African-American Studies from Morehouse College. He continued his education at the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2008 earning a juris doctor. Sellers currently practices law with the Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, SC where he heads the firm’s Strategic Communication and Public Affairs team and has recently added Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Consulting to the list of services offered.
Sellers made history in the 2006 South Carolina state legislature as the youngest African American elected official in the nation, at the age of 22. His political career did not stop there, in 2014 he was the Democratic Nominee for Lt. Governor in the state of South Carolina. Sellers has also worked for United States Congressman James Clyburn and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
His accomplishments do not go unnoticed within the Democratic Party. In 2008 he served on President Obama’s South Carolina steering committee. His ability to “reach across the aisle to get things done” has led to numerous achievements including being named TIME Magazine’s 40 Under 40 and “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African-Americans in 2015, and HBCU Top 30 Under 30 in July 2014.
Sellers recently released a New York Times Best Seller My Vanishing Country: A Memoir. The book has been described as part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis illustrating the lives of America’s forgotten black working-class men and women. He has also expanded his audience with the Bakari Sellers Podcast, a twice-a-week show part of The Ringer Podcast Network that addresses a variety of topics from politics, race, sports, media, the presidential campaign, and much more.
Sellers has served as a featured speaker at various Political Events, Universities, and National Trade Organizations across the country, such as the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Sellers is married to his wife Dr. Ellen Rucker-Sellers and father to twins Sadie and Stokely.
For more information on the 2021 Spring Commencement go to: https://www.tuskegee.edu/commencement.
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