Local Black-owned bookstore Baldwin and Co. brought college students, city leaders and community members together on Monday (Oct. 7) for a conversation about the state of civil rights in America as a part of former South Carolina state representative Bakari Sellers’ book tour.
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The event began with a “State of the Union” panel about issues facing young people in the United States, featuring students from Xavier University, Dillard University and Tulane University. Jarvis DeBerry, MSNBC Daily’s opinion editor, moderated the discussion.
Youma Diabera, a senior at Xavier who was on the panel, told Verite News that she is questioning how engaged and educated young people are ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
“I think today’s panel was really just about the state of mind of college students when it comes to the election,” Diabera said. “For many of us, this is our first time voting.”
After the panel concluded, DeBerry and Sellers had a conversation promoting Sellers’ book, “The Moment: Thoughts on the Race Reckoning That Wasn’t and How We All Can Move Forward Now,” which was released in April. The book examines the state of the U.S. after the COVID-19 pandemic and the killing of George Floyd. Sellers, an attorney and political analyst for CNN, spoke at length about those topics and the presidential election.
“I think this election is about choices,” Sellers said. He spoke about how he thinks a lack of participation in the electoral process from Black men could influence the presidential election in former President Donald Trump’s favor. He also talked about abortion access, saying that he thinks Black men should care more about abortion rights.
Sellers spoke about the possibility of another presidential term for Trump, calling it a threat. He said that Trump could be “the most consequential president in U.S. history” if re-elected, pointing to the fact Trump has already appointed three Supreme Court justices and could appoint more if re-elected.
After the talk, Sellers told Verite News how people can remain socially aware at this moment, which he likened to periods of reconstruction in the country’s history.
“Read books,” Sellers said. “As I talk about the culture of anti-intellectualism, as I talk about the fact that our history is being snatched from us, a lot of times, it’s up to us to have some level of individual responsibility and go out here and source our own information.”
Sellers also spoke to Verite about the importance of building community and engaging in challenging conversations with empathy. He said being inquisitive, working from a grassroots level and paying attention to changes to local government are key to building community.
“I think we have to take control of what we can control. I think we have to build community and ask those challenging questions,” Sellers said. “Don’t be afraid to speak that truth to power.”
Helena Moreno, New Orleans City Council president, was at the event. She spoke with Verite News about the state of community between the city council and constituents.
“I think that there are some people who are, no doubt, very engaged,” Moreno said. “But then I feel like there’s this other piece where people are not really sure how to engage.”
Moreno continued: “That’s the piece that we need to work on, to get people to the point of being more comfortable [with] reaching out to elected people.”
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