Bakari Sellers
When he was elected at age 22, Sellers became the youngest member of the South Carolina General Assembly. Active in the fight against child obesity, Sellers graduated from Morehouse College in 2005 and got his law degree at the University of South Carolina in 2008. He just turned 26 in September.
Who is your political hero/inspiration?
My father [civil rights activist Cleveland Sellers]. His search for social justice and equality, as well as his never-ending desire to attain the highest level of education possible, is my number-one inspiration.
What's your go-to political blog?
It's actually a conservative blog in South Carolina. It's called FITSNews. It's not too friendly to my side of the aisle, but it's interesting reading.
If you weren't working in politics, what would you be doing?
I would like to think that I would still be practicing law somewhere.
What's the most overlooked issue facing America these days?
I think it's the issue of my generation, and it's not race any longer: It's the haves versus the have-nots. Until we address that growing divide, whether it be narrowing the socio-economic divide, narrowing the technological gap or just making sure that everyone is healthy, we will continue to not see the progress that we want in the country.
Where do you see yourself professionally in five years?
That's a hard question for me to answer because I truly live day by day ... I do love our lieutenant governor's office. That would be a good window to look out of. And the governor has a nice house. But we'll see.