Community Celebrating Diversity to welcome Bakari Sellers at MLK event
Staff Reports | Community Updates
Community Celebrating Diversity is announcing attorney, politician and CNN political commentator Bakari Sellers as the featured speaker of the 2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Celebration Dinner.
The event takes place at 5:30 p.m., Jan. 16, 2025, at The Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium, and has become the signature MLK celebration across the Valley of the Sun.
The 501(c)(3) nonprofit Scottsdale Community Celebrating Diversity has hosted the dinner for more than 30 years as a way to recognize and celebrate diversity across the local community with a focus on impacting youth and future community leaders.
“Community Celebrating Diversity is excited to have Bakari Sellers share his inspirational story,” said Brent Stockwell, Community Celebrating Diversity board president and Scottsdale assistant city manager. “We welcome all to this community celebration to remember and reflect on Dr. King’s words, and to honor those who have carried on his legacy through their work in our community.”
2025 featured speaker: Bakari Sellers
Bakari Sellers was born in 1984 and raised in Denmark, South Carolina. He graduated from the South Carolina public school system and earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College in 2005, where he served as student body president, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina in 2008.
Mr. 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. Mr. Sellers has worked for United States Congressman James Clyburn and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin.
He served on President Barack Obama’s South Carolina steering committee during the 2008 election and is widely considered to be a rising star within the Democratic Party and a leading voice for his generation. He was named to TIME Magazine’s 40 Under 40 in 2010, as well as the 2014 and 2015 “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African-Americans.
Nominations open for 2025 Diversity Champions
Do you know or work with exceptional people that deserve to be recognized for their work in diversity? Scottsdale’s Diversity Champions are individuals who exemplify the philosophy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and who have enriched and impacted the Scottsdale community through their work and/or volunteerism by empowering others.
The winners will be spotlighted at the annual dinner celebration. Eligible nominees must work, live or volunteer in Scottsdale. The nomination process is currently open. Deadline is noon Nov. 1.
2025 Martin Luther King Jr. Community Dinner Celebration
The annual event takes place 5:30 p.m. Jan. 16, 2025, with registration and reception, followed by a 6 p.m. dinner and recognition ceremony. It will be held at The Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium, 7408 E. Osborn Road in Scottsdale.
