Tim Scott: 'Our Family Went from Cotton to Congress in One Lifetime'

Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) delivered a hefty dose of optimism while telling his personal story during Monday’s Republican National Convention (RNC) address, explaining that his family went from “Cotton to Congress in one lifetime” in the United States.

Scott closed out the first night of the RNC by offering a sharp contrast from the grim outlook presented by Democrats during last week’s Democratic National Convention (DNC), particularly in regard to racial issues.

“My grandfather’s 99th birthday would have been tomorrow. Growing up, he had to cross the street if a white person was coming. He suffered the indignity of being forced out of school as a third grader to pick cotton, and never learned to read or write,” Scott said.

“Yet, he lived long enough to see his grandson become the first African American to be elected to both the United States House and the United States Senate in the history of this country,” he continued.

“Our family went from Cotton to Congress in one lifetime,” he added. “That’s why I believe the next American century can be better than the last.”

Scott’s remarks stand in contrast to the dominant narrative of left-wing lawmakers and activists, who claim that America is a fundamentally racist country with “systemic racism” at every turn.

The South Carolina lawmaker, however, offered a very different view.

“You may be asking yourself how does a poor black kid from a single-parent household run and win in a race crowded with Republicans against a Thurmond? Because of the evolution of the southern heart,” he said.

“In an overwhelmingly white district, the voters judged me not on the color of my skin but on the content of my character,” Scott added.

We live in a world that only wants you to believe in the bad news — racially, economically, and culturally-polarizing news,” he said, offering a positive outlook in contrast to the dark and divisive narrative presented by Democrat lawmakers and touted by social justice activists.

“The truth is, our nation’s arc always bends back towards fairness. We are not fully where we want to be, but I thank God Almighty we are not where we used to be,” Scott continued. “We are always striving to be better. When we stumble — and we will — we pick ourselves back up and try again.”