Attorney and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers will be the keynote speaker at the 26th annual fundraising dinner for the Ella C. White Memorial Scholarship Fund Nov. 3, at the Sonesta Resort in Shipyard on Hilton Head Island.
This year’s theme is “A Class Act.” The event begins with a cash bar reception at 6:15 p.m., followed by the dinner, program, entertainment and door prizes at 7 p.m.
Keynote speaker Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just 22 years old, he defeated a 26-year incumbent state representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation.
In 2014, he was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the state of South Carolina.
Sellers earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, where he served as student body president, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, in his tireless commitment to service and to championing progressive policies that address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity.
His impressive list of accomplishments includes serving on President Barack Obama’s South Carolina steering committee during the 2008 election. Sellers is widely considered to be a rising star within the Democratic Party and a leading voice for his generation. That, coupled with his uncommon ability to reach across the aisle and get things done, has led to numerous accolades including being named to Time Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2010 and to “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African-Americans in 2014 and 2015.
He has served as a featured speaker at events for the National Education Association, College Democrats of America National Convention, and the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Convention.
Sellers practices law with the Strom Law Firm in Columbia.
Proceeds from the Ella C. White Memorial Scholarship dinner will be used for college scholarships for deserving young people in the community.
The fund, established in 1972, is a tribute to the late Ella C. White, who was an inspiring math teacher at the former H.E. McCracken Junior and Senior High School in Bluffton. She worked tirelessly to make sure students learned.
After her death, members of the White family decided to honor her legacy as a teacher and continue her mission of helping students succeed.
In May, the scholarship fund awarded $21,500 in scholarships to 25 local high school seniors and college students.
Applications for the 2018 scholarships will be available in January. For more information, visit www.ecwscholarship .org.
Tickets for the dinner are $75. To make reservations, call Carolyn Grant at 843-422-0707 or Carol Campbell at 843-684-1644. Tickets also may be purchased at www.ecwscholarship dinner.event.com.
