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CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - South Carolina’s first Black senator since Reconstruction kicked off his “Faith in America” listening tour in Charleston on Thursday.
The Charleston County GOP hosted a dinner at The Citadel to honor Black History Month with Sen. Tim Scott as their keynote speaker.
Tim Scott told the story of his grandfather cotton picking to him running for Congress. He described growing up as a Black child in America, he was told plenty of noes but says our country’s progress is what made him persevere.
“Today is not 1865,” Scott said. “Today is not 1923. We have made tremendous progress and it’s time that we as a people celebrate the progress already.”
During the evening, the band from Burke High School performed and numerous speakers gave thanks for Scott’s support.
“To think about the country that’s made the most progress in the least amount of time, there’s no better place to tell that story than the place where the Civil War started,” Scott said.
He also touched on growing up in a single-parent household.
“I understand being treated as a second-class citizen because of the color of my skin,” Scott said. “I refuse to be treated as a second-class citizen because of the color of my party. I’m not going to play that game twice.”
Scott was asked if he was going to run for president.
“So, the truth is, as I kick off my ‘Faith in America’ tour, it will give me a lot of information about what America is looking for and where their focus is,” Scott said.
Although Scott did not give confirmation on if he is running for president, he did not deny it. During an interview, he said he hopes America gets to see more of South Carolina. He also did not answer the question of if he would endorse Nikki Haley.
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