Recently I spoke with author, lawyer, CNN Pundit and Morehouse Man Barkari Sellers. Saturday morning at 8am on WCLK's The Local Take we'll feature our conversation. Sellers' new book My Vanishing Country is on sale now. This memoir tracks his life from the dirt roads of Denmark, SC to the South Carolina State house and the studios of CNN.
I ask him about growing up in the South and deciding to attend Morehouse College. His book speaks to him deciding to become a politician and strategizing his historic election as the youngest member ever elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives. He mentions that he was following in the footsteps of his "Uncle" Julian Bond.
I mention that his book has a chapter devoted to black women and he explains why we got a whole chapter. He speaks about his mother, sister, wife and all the women, including former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, who poured into his life.
I ask him about the chapter on anxiety. He writes about anxiety being his superpower. He speaks to twisted definitions of manhood that don't serve men well. He also speaks about the negative stigmas that still exist in our community where mental health is concerned.
We discuss the removal of the Confederate flag from the South Carolina state grounds and the continual removal of these symbols of hate. He shares why he thinks this is important.
Sellers and I share two things, we were raised in small country towns and we've both been blocked on Twitter by the current occupant of the White House. I also ask how he keeps his cool on CNN. I ask him specifically about the Friday morning May 29th when journalist Omar Jimenez was arrested live on the air. Sellers was emotional as we all watched it happen.
To follow Bakari Sellers on Twitter