Today we honor the achievements of Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, the seventh African American to serve in the United States Senate and the first from South Carolina.

In spite of the poverty his North Charleston family faced, Scott’s mother taught him from an early age that strong work ethic and faith in God can defeat any obstacle. Though his single mother worked 16 hour days to provide for Tim and his brother, he did not see his true potential until an encounter and eventual friendship with Chick-fil-a owner John Moniz.

At the time, Scott worked at a movie theater near Moniz’s restaurant and was failing English and Spanish in school. Moniz came in to his life during a rocky time to show Tim that God had greater plans for him. He took him under his wing and taught him “basic Biblical business principles.”

Because of the strong leadership he found during a pivotal point in his life, Scott went on to graduate from Charleston Southern University and own one of the most successful insurance businesses in the state. This alone is remarkable for a man who pulled himself out of poverty; yet Scott’s career continued to grow.

Though his mentor has since passed, the principles Moniz taught him continue to live in his political career. As shown by his staunch conservative voting record, Senator Scott has applied these core values to his work on the Charleston County Council, in the South Carolina House of Representatives, the United States House of Representatives, and will undoubtedly continue in the United States Senate.

In addition to serving the First Congressional District of South Carolina in the United States House of Representatives, Senator Scott’s career consists of many other firsts. When he served on the Charleston County Council, he was the first African American Republican elected to any office in South Carolina since Reconstruction, the first African American Republican elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in more than a century, and the first African American Republican elected to Congress from our state in 114 years.

In addition, he is the first African American Senator to serve from the South since Reconstruction and the very first African American to serve from South Carolina in our state’s history. We are proud that this milestone leader in Palmetto State history belongs to our party.

Although we celebrate Senator Scott as an invaluable addition to the South Carolina Republican Party, we recognize that his achievements are due to his belief in conservatism and God, not because of the color of his skin. He represents the American Dream, and gives us optimism about what the future holds for our country.

The boy who could not afford a sandwich from Chick-fil-a thirty years ago transformed into a man whose pioneer leadership inspires every African American, every South Carolinian, and every citizen of the United States.