Bakari Sellers

Former South Carolina State Representative & CNN Commentator

Bakari 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 also recently expanded his audience with the Bakari Sellers Podcast, a twice-a-week show that is part of The Ringer Podcast Network. His podcasts discuss a variety of topics from politics, race, sports, media, the presidential campaign, and much more.

Earning his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, where he served as student body president, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina, Sellers has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, in his tireless commitment to championing progressive policies to address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity.

Bakari 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. Bakari 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.  Bakari 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 practices law with the Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, SC and is a Political Commentator at CNN. He is married to Dr. Ellen Rucker-Sellers and father to twins Sadie and Stokely.