Sunday Spotlight: From the Cotton Field to the Senate Chamber

Soon after Tim Scott became the junior Senator representing the great state of South Carolina, his grandfather made the trip to Washington D.C. It was an extraordinary journey for Scott’s Granddad as it was emblematic of a true American dream. The elder had spent his entire life picking cotton in the hot fields of the Palmetto State, and in just two generations, the Scotts had journeyed from the cotton fields to the United States Capitol. Dreams to come true. And that story is why Tim Scott is my Sunday Spotlight.

Although you might not be able to write a better story than that of the Scotts, it may be America that has a lot to be thankful for with Senator Tim Scott. Aside from the fact that Scott is the first Black Senator from South Carolina, he is the type of man we should strive to find to be one of the one hundred to sit in our Senate. He is the first Black to serve in both houses of Congress. He is the first Black Senator since Edward Brooke left in 1979. In the short time he has been in D.C., he has shown that there are higher spots for this statesman to strive.

Joe Biden once commented that if you are a Black American, you are obligated to vote Democrat. Scott grew up in poverty, and thanks to his Mom, who worked fourteen hours a day to care for Tim and his brother, they broke the cycle of poverty. His Mother raised Tim Scott with the solid American Conservative values that show why the President was so terribly wrong with that irresponsible line. And also why the Democrats can no longer count on the support of the Black vote.

Scott gained national attention when he was chosen to deliver the Republican response to Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech in April 2021. Scott is a gifted speaker with the delivery and charisma needed to make his listeners sit up and pay attention. Regardless of which Chamber he was in, he voted with consistency, common sense, and solid Conservative views.

Scott declared this would be his last term in the Senate but has a significant balance in his war chest leading many to believe his next move will be a run at the White House. During a recent interview on FOX News, Scott talked about two of his disappointments. “I failed four subjects my freshman year. World geography and civics. I always laugh because civics is about politics.” He also talked about escaping a potential life-ending situation as he recalled another “painful and miserable” setback in his younger years. The congressmen fell asleep driving down Interstate 26. “I went through the windshield. And to come out of that with just six weeks of missed football … And the rest of my life has been better because of that tragedy. That’s a blessing,” Scott said.

Growing up poor in a single-parent household, Scott used football as the “deliverance” out of poverty.

“That was my dream. And I think it’s the dream for so many young kids, especially those of us growing up in a single-parent household and in poverty – it’s to let this pigskin be our deliverance out of poverty – and most importantly, to buy mom a house.” Scott’s dream came true in 2007 when he bought that house he promised his mother.

“I failed in high school, but thank God for a second chance. I failed in business. I failed in politics. I think for all of us, our story of redemption is that we get a second chance. That’s not true in every country on Earth. We are the story of redemption.”