College of Charleston launches Civility Initiative: A Conversation with Trey Gowdy and Bakari Sellers
September 9, 2025
The College of Charleston Civility Initiative will host a Q&A featuring authors, commentators, and former elected officials: Trey Gowdy, a former Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and Bakari Sellers, a former Democratic S.C. state legislator, for its kick-off event for the school year.
The Finding Common Ground in a Divided World event will be October 2, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the Sottile Theatre, 44 George Street. This event is free and open to the public, however, a ticket registration is required.
Register for the event here:Â https://cofc.evenue.net/
Civility Initiative Director Mike Lee, a College of Charleston communications professor and author, will serve as moderator.
“The Civility Initiative at the College of Charleston is committed to showing that disagreement doesn’t have to mean division. Through panels, debates, workshops, and our podcast When We Disagree, we model how healthy conflict can strengthen communities and sharpen ideas,” says Lee. “This event featuring Bakari Sellers and Trey Gowdy perfectly illustrates this mission to find our common humanity especially as we differ. They come from opposite sides of the political spectrum, yet both are respected voices who understand the value of hard conversations done with respect. Bringing them together demonstrates to our students and the wider Charleston community that dialogue across difference is not only possible—it’s essential. It can even be fun!”
About Trey Gowdy
Trey Gowdy is the New York Times bestselling author of “Start, Stay, or Leave: The Art of Decision Making” and “Doesn’t Hurt to Ask.” He is also the co-author of “Unified” with Senator Tim Scott. Gowdy hosts “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy” on Fox News and “The Trey Gowdy Podcast.” He served as a four-term U.S. representative for South Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. Before running for Congress, he served as a federal prosecutor in his home state and a district attorney in Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. Gowdy is married to Terri Dillard Gowdy, a former first-grade school teacher in Spartanburg, S.C
About Bakari Sellers
Bakari Sellers is the New York Times bestselling author of “My Vanishing Country: A Memoir,” a children’s book, “Who Are Your People,” and his most recent publication, “The Moment.” He is host of “The Bakari Sellers Podcast” and a frequent political commentator. In 2006, Sellers made history at age 22 as the youngest African American elected official in the nation, serving South Carolina’s 90th District in the state legislature for four terms. He was named to TIME’s “40 Under 40” list, twice placed on “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African Americans and honored on the HBCU Buzz’s “Top 30 Under 30” list. Bakari practices law with the Strom Law Firm in Columbia, S.C., and is married to Dr. Ellen Rucker-Sellers. They have twins, Sadie and Stokely, as well as Kai, who is a freshman at Howard University.
About the College of Charleston
Located in the heart of historic Charleston, South Carolina, the College of Charleston is a nationally recognized, public liberal arts and sciences university. Founded in 1770, the College is among the nation’s top universities for quality education, student life and affordability. Its beautiful and historic campus, combined with contemporary facilities, cutting-edge programs and accessible faculty, attracts students from across the U.S. and around the world.
