Cassius Lanier, a Tuscaloosa native, is the fifth child of Aimee Patricia Richardson and the late Howard “Lip” Lanier. He graduated from Central High School and holds a degree in Business Administration from Stillman College. He is a member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Epsilon Epsilon Chapter. In 2010, he founded Community Unity, an organization supporting local families through leadership and service. He has served on the Strategic Planning Committee for Habitat for Humanity and currently sits on the Board of Trustees for Child Abuse Prevention Services. A deacon at Impact Nation Fellowship Church, he and his wife, Mesha, have six children and four grandchildren.