U.S. Senator Tim Scott Shares his Message of Hope with Rotary

VP of Programs Danny McKinney, President Chuck Redden and Rotarian Judge Bill Pryor with Sen. Scott.

The Rotary Club of Birmingham recently welcomed members of the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham for a special joint meeting featuring an in-depth conversation with Tim Scott, U.S. Senator from South Carolina, moderated by Rotarian Judge Bill Pryor.

Sen. Scott shared his inspiring story, overcoming poverty to become a successful businessman and the first African American elected to both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate, thanks to the support of his single mom and encouragement from an impactful mentor. Sen. Scott highlighted legislative achievements he has helped bring about, including permanent funding for historically Black colleges and universities, support for education, minority farmers, women’s employment, and research priorities such as Sickle Cell Anemia.

“My honest opinion about politics is most people, most of the time, don’t trust elected officials because we do stupid things,” Sen. Scott said. “The easiest way to be honest is to be transparent in your honesty—don’t just be honest, but you have to be transparent in your honesty—and be available for the criticism and the critiques on both sides. I try my very best to be not a Republican, but a Conservative and a Conservative who’s anchored in Biblical values.”

Sen. Scott explained his signature legislation, opportunity zones, which helps direct private investments into distressed communities across the country. He recognized Rotarian Alex Flachsbart, Founder & CEO of Opportunity Alabama which has spearheaded opportunity zone work in the state.

“My understanding is that no less than $350 million has been invested in opportunity zones because of the efforts of OPAL and so many others,” Scott said. “Those are real dollars going into real communities creating the type of transformation that is incredibly important to the poorest kids living in marginalized communities that gives them hope that they would not have without something like OPAL.”

Sen. Scott discussed issues such as gun safety, workforce development, the need for comprehensive immigration policy, safeguarding elections, threats from foreign adversaries, the challenges presented by social media.

“I believe that ultimately people of good conscience consistently do the right thing in this country. I’m not very concerned about a repeat, to be honest with you. I am concerned about the polarization and the division that uses January 6th, that uses these unusual, once-in-a-lifetime events against both sides in order to keep polarization as a means of monetizing and creating profits based on conflict.”

He also reflected on the experience of living through the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol and the legacy of Civil Rights in Birmingham and throughout the U.S.

“I asked myself this morning, sitting here in Birmingham, thinking about ‘What does the world look like with the absence of truth? What happens when truth and the effects of truth are delayed? Thinking about the water hose and the German shepherds and the pictures. Sitting down my first week in Congress with John Lewis and going through the pictorial history of discrimination and being beaten. And then co-chairing the 50th anniversary of Selma with John Lewis. And then standing under the Pettus bridge with President Obama and President Bush…I’m so thankful I live in a different America. I’m so thankful that my grandfather, born in 1921, lived long enough to see that day…I’m so thankful that we can look back in history and say, according to Jeremiah 17:9, that the depravity of man, the depravity of heart can be seen and witnessed and experienced n all its ugliness. And fast-forward 50 years, and to be the only African American ever elected to both the House and the Senate, from the deep South, mind you. To think about the evolution of the southern heart and what people don’t ever see on TV or hear—the story of progress, the story of hope.

“Our country’s dying of thirst for something good. And we have it hidden in the pain and the misery of our stories. In the misery of Alabama and South Carolina is truly the miracle of America. Sometimes the best of times manifest literally out of the graves of the worst of times. And we’re living in the best times.”

About Tim Scott
U.S. Senator Tim Scott grew up in poverty in a single-parent household in North Charleston. His mom worked 16-hour days as a nursing assistant to keep food on the table and a roof over their heads. Tim admits his circumstances left him hopeless, and as a result, he nearly failed out of high school. By the grace of God, Tim met his mentor, a Chick-fil-A operator named John Moniz. Moniz taught Tim Biblical principles and Conservative values. Through the love, prayers, and strength imparted by his mom and Moniz’s idea that you could ‘think your way out of poverty,’ Tim’s life got back on track.

Tim graduated from Charleston Southern University with a political science degree. He went on to build his successful small business from the ground up. Inspired by the lessons from his mentor, Tim set out to positively effect the lives of a billion people. He was first elected to public office in 1995 and served at the local and state level until his election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010.

In 2013, Tim joined the U.S. Senate. His signature legislation, Opportunity Zones, has infused $75 billion of private investments into distressed communities across the country in just a few years. As he continues his work to lift Americans out of poverty, Tim also plays a critical role in protecting the unborn, Second Amendment rights, police and criminal justice reform, credit access, education, connectivity, and workforce development.

Tim brings a fresh perspective to Washington, and his remarkable story shows the transformative power of Conservative values. He will keep fighting to ensure folks in South Carolina—and across the country—have the opportunity to succeed.