Bakari Sellers
About Bakari Sellers
“Bakari was incredibly easy to work with from the start. He welcomed any questions we had, and his energy and charisma were evident both on and off the stage. He resonated deeply with our audience, who loved him. His talk, focusing on making the world a more just and prosperous place through law, struck a chord with everyone.”
Speech topics
A Look Down the Political Pipeline
t no other time in American history have so many watershed moments run parallel to one another. In what may be, as Bakari Sellers puts it, “the weirdest convergence of events in our country’s history,” we’re left with more questions than answers when it comes to political progress in our country. Formerly the youngest African American elected official in the U.S. and currently a rising star in the Democratic party considered among the most prominent voices of his generation, Sellers is uniquely positioned to analyze the day’s pressing issues and offer candid, expert commentary on the present political landscape.
Recognized from his appearances on nation’s leading news outlets, Sellers is a household name who breaks down issues such as race, immigration, trade, and national security, as well as the impact presidential administrations, both past and present, have had on various policy positions in our country. An extremely articulate and passionate speaker, Sellers’ 360-degree view of the future of U.S. politics will leave audiences informed and uplifted, and instill new sense of duty within each person to play his or her role in reshaping our nation.
Speaking videos
Media coverage
Hambycast: Can Bakari Sellers save Southern Democrats? - CNN.com
Columbia, South Carolina (CNN) -- It's September of 2014, but Bakari Sellers is already getting calls and visits from the small crop of Democrats considering a ...
Rep. Bakari Sellers Challenges Gov. Haley to Eat a Food Stamp Diet
Comes after Governor says she'd like to see the program place more emphasis on healthy foods.
Books by Bakari Sellers
“The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning that Wasn't and How We All Can Move Forward Now” (2024)
The New York Times bestselling author of My Vanishing Country examines the modern political landscape and policies that are impacting Black families and communities and offers solutions for a better tomorrow. In late May in 2020, while discussing the murder of George Floyd on CNN, Bakari Sellers spoke from the heart sharing devastating insight that touched millions around the world: “It’s just so much pain. You get so tired. We have black children. I have a 15-year-old daughter. I mean, what do I tell her? I’m raising a son. I have no idea what to tell him. It’s just—it’s hard being black in this country when your life is not valued and people are worried about the protesters and the looters. And it’s just people who are frustrated for far too long and not have their voices heard.” In this powerful and persuasive book, Sellers expands on the issues he addressed in his New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country, examining national politics and policies that deeply impact not only Black people in his home state of South Carolina but the lives of millions of African Americans in communities across the nation. Four years later, Sellers has an answer to the question he raised on CNN, offering much-needed prescriptions to help all Black American lives. Sellers explores inequities in healthcare, education, early childhood education, and policing, drawing on interviews with numerous thought leaders such as pioneering voting rights and poverty activist the Rev. William Barber, and Ben Crump, the civil rights legend who successfully uses the law to achieve justice for people of color in racially charged cases. He also shares his thoughts on conservative media and the forces and dark money behind firebrands such as Tucker Carlson. This thoughtful and practical work is a timely meditation on the state of our world today and how we can all play a part in making it better for tomorrow.
“Who Are Your People?” (2024)
This inspiring picture book by New York Times bestselling author Bakari Sellers is a tribute to the family and community that help make us who we are. Perfect for sharing and gifting. When you meet someone for the first time, they might ask, "Who are your people?" and "Where are you from?" Children are shaped by their ancestors, and this book celebrates the village it takes to raise a child. In the vein of I Am Enough and Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, this powerful picture book with beautiful illustrations by Reggie Brown is a joyful recognition of the people and places that help define young readers and adults alike. Don't miss this picture book debut from Bakari Sellers, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller My Vanishing Country: A Memoir.
“My Vanishing Country: A Memoir” (2020)
Part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis, My Vanishing Country is an eye-opening journey through the South's past, present, and future. Anchored in in Bakari Seller’s hometown of Denmark, South Carolina, Country illuminates the pride and pain that continues to fertilize the soil of one of the poorest states in the nation. He traces his father’s rise to become, friend of Stokely Carmichael and Martin Luther King, a civil rights hero, and member of the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) , to explore the plight of the South's dwindling rural, black working class—many of whom can trace their ancestry back for seven generations. In his poetic personal history, we are awakened to the crisis affecting the other “Forgotten Men & Women,” who the media seldom acknowledges. For Sellers, these are his family members, neighbors, and friends. He humanizes the struggles that shape their lives: to gain access to healthcare as rural hospitals disappear; to make ends meet as the factories they have relied on shut down and move overseas; to hold on to precious traditions as their towns erode; to forge a path forward without succumbing to despair. My Vanishing Country is also a love letter to fatherhood—to Sellers' father, his lodestar, whose life lessons have shaped him, and to his newborn twins, who he hopes will embrace the Sellers family name and honor its legacy.
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At a glanceBakari Sellers
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