Former S.C. representative and current CNN political analyst Bakari Sellers is this year’s speaker in the Samuel C. Waters Lecture Series in Political Science.

One of the country’s foremost political commentators will address current affairs at Presbyterian College’s 2024 Samuel Calvin Waters Lecture.

Attorney, author, and former S.C. Representative Bakari Sellers will speak 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 28, in Edmunds Hall to discuss the current political landscape in America.

Sellers, a frequent guest analyst on CNN, made history in 2006 when he became the youngest ever member of the South Carolina state legislature at age 22, representing the state’s 90^th district in the House of Representatives. In 2014, he vacated his House seat for an unsuccessful bid to become lieutenant governor, but continues to serve as a leading voice for the Democratic Party and for civil rights.

The son of renowned civil rights activist and educator Cleveland Sellers, Sellers earned his bachelor’s degree in African-American studies from Morehouse College in Atlanta, Ga., and a juris doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law.

In 2010, Sellers was named to Time magazine’s “40 Under 40” list. In 2022, Politico featured him in its “50 Politicos to Watch” list. Four years ago, he penned the New York Times best-selling book, My Vanishing County: A Memoir, a poignant look at the forgotten black working-class men and women in the South.

Sellers continues to serve as an attorney with the Strom Law Firm in Columbia and currently serves on the board of directors of Level Brands and Let America Vote. He and his wife, Ellen, have twins who were born in 2018.

“We are honored to welcome a guest of Bakari Sellers’ caliber to Presbyterian College,” said PC president Dr. Anita Gustafson. “His passion for national politics and his story as a native son of South Carolina will offer valuable insight into this year’s election cycle and the future of our country.”

PC alumnus Samuel C. Waters ’66 established the Samuel Calvin Waters Lecture Series in Political Science to bring notable political scholars to campus who can highlight the value and relevance of the study of politics and contemporary issues. This year’s event is co-sponsored by the Waters Lecture Series and the college’s Russell Program.