MLK CELEBRATION
The evolution of Scottsdale's MLK Celebration was initiated by CCD’s founding members, Sandra Rembrandt and Don Logan. Their vision was for Scottsdale to host its own Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration. In the early 1990’s, members from across the valley traveled to Phoenix to celebrate Dr. King’s birthday. They had a passion for Dr. King’s legacy and felt citizens from the Scottsdale community would take pride in hosting a celebration in its own community. Today, Scottsdale’s celebration serves as a signature celebration for the entire valley that includes nationally renowned speakers representing a myriad of diversity perspectives honoring the history and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Join Us For The 31st Annual MLK Celebration Dinner.
2025featured
speaker
BAKARI SELLERS
Best-selling Author and former Politician Bakari Sellers was born into an activist family and raised with a tireless commitment to service. His father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, instilled core values in him that drive him to this day.
Sellers’ most recent book, Who Are Your People? is a children's book inspired by his two 3-year-old twins and was written to teach young Black readers about their history. He is also known for his New York Times Best Seller My Vanishing Country: A Memoir. The book has been described as part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis illustrating the lives of America’s forgotten Black working-class men and women.
He recently expanded his audience with the Bakari Sellers Podcast, a twice-a-week show that is part of The Ringer Podcast Network. His podcasts discuss various topics, including politics, race, sports, media, the presidential campaign, and much more.
Bakari currently practices law with the Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, SC, where he heads the firm’s Strategic Communication and Public Affairs team. He recently added Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Consulting to the services offered. Bakari made history in the 2006 South Carolina state legislature as the youngest African American elected official in the nation at the age of 22.
His political career did not stop there. In 2014, he was the Democratic Nominee for Lt. Governor in the state of South Carolina. Bakari has also worked for United States Congressman James Clyburn and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. His accomplishments do not go unnoticed within the Democratic Party. In 2008 he served on President Obama’s South Carolina steering committee.
His ability to “reach across the aisle to get things done” has led to numerous achievements, including being named TIME Magazine’s 40 Under 40 and “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African- Americans in 2015 and HBCU Top 30 Under 30 in July 2014. Sellers holds a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and a bachelor's degree in African-American Studies from Morehouse College.
Sellers has served as a featured speaker at various Political Events, Universities, and National Trade Organizations across the country, including the 2008 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions.
He is father to twins Sadie and Stokely and husband to Dr. Ellen Rucker Sellers - his most important roles.
2025 MLK Celebration
Tickets and Sponsorship Opportunities
2024 MLK Event Details
Date:
Thursday, January 16th, 2025
Time:
5:30PM
Location:
The Fieldhouse at Scottsdale Stadium
7408 E. Osborn Road
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
2024 MLK Celebration Dinner Featured Speaker
Dr. Battinto Batts
Battinto L. Batts Jr. is a dean, a professor and an award-winning journalist and educator with deep experience in philanthropy and nonprofit administration. He is the dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University. He recently served as director of journalism strategies for the Scripps Howard Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio. Batts holds a doctorate in higher education management from Hampton University, a master’s degree in media management from Norfolk State University and a bachelor’s degree in mass communications from Virginia Commonwealth University.