Seated Together

Seated Together

An advanced candidate leadership program for Black elected officials who are ready to take the next step.

The Program

Seated Together is a one-of-a-kind advanced candidate leadership program for Black women who are current & former elected officials who aspire to run for higher office. We engage a slate of top Black political talent from around the country to train cohort members about their unique opportunities and address the specific barriers & challenges Black women face as they seek to deepen their impact and move up the political pipeline. 

The virtual portion of the program consists of two in-person retreats in Washington D.C. and 30 hours of virtual training. We meet for 3 hours, once a month, over six months. All training sessions are facilitated by Black women who are experts in Democratic politics. The Opening Retreat will be in April 2025 and the Closing Retreat will be in October 2025. Additionally, there is a third opportunity to network with fellow Seated Together cohort members & alums during the Congressional Black Caucus Week in September 20525 in DC.
 
Seated Together is building out a network of powerful Black women across the country who are already leaders in the community. When they win higher office together, program alums will not only deliver political representation that looks like the community, but they can legislatively address their communities’ needs.
 
Applications open on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, and close on Wednesday, February 12, 2025.
Click here to apply today! 
 

Program topics will be specific to the needs of Black women elected officials who aspire to run for higher office and will include the following topics:

Welcome to Emerge
Preparing to Run for Higher Office
Scaling Up Your Operations
Outreach Priorities
Authentic Messaging
Next Level Fundraising
Field At Scale
Media and Press
Endorsements and Political Relationships

The Commitment

Cohort participants will commit to attending 80% of training sessions and activities. Training will take place for three hours every month. Participants will also make plans to attend the kickoff reception in Washington, DC and the training days at the beginning of CBC week, held in Washington, DC. Attending the DNC Convention in Chicago, IL from August 19th through August 22nd is optional but recommended. 

Tuition and Fees

Tuition for the six month program is $750. Additionally, participants are responsible for travel/transportation, meals and lodging costs for two visits to Washington, DC, one in early Spring and the second in early Fall. An optional cost may be travel/transportation, meals and lodging during the DNC Convention in Chicago, IL in August if interested.  

Application Process

The 2024 application is now open and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 15th. The application can be accessed here. Applicants will be assessed on the following, but not limited to: commitment to their community; success and impact while in office; potential pathway and office sought; timeline for seeking higher office, etc.  

For any questions please contact Jamie Maniscalco at jamie@emergeamerica.org.

The Third Cohort

The 2024 cohort of Seated Together:

  • Representative Rhetta Andrews Bowers, State Representative, Texas House District 113
  • Representative Morgan Cephas, State Representative, Pennsylvania House District 192
  • Senator Merika Coleman, State Senator, Alabama District 19
  • Representative Gina H. Curry, State Representative, Pennsylvania Legislative District 164
  • Trustee Erica Gilmore, Metropolitan Trustee of Nashville & Davidson County, Tennessee
  • Senator Sonya Halpern, State Senator, Georgia Senate District 39
  • Representative Annie E. McDaniel, State Representative, South Carolina House District 41
  • Council President LaMonica McIver, Council Member, Central Ward, Newark, New Jersey
  • Senator Elizabeth “Liz” Miranda, State Senator, Massachusetts Second Suffolk District
  • Mayor Talisha Searcy, Takoma Park, Maryland
  • Assemblymember Lori Wilson, Assemblywoman, California Assembly District 11

The Second Cohort

The 2023 cohort of Seated Together:

  • District Attorney Sherry Boston, Stone Mountain Judicial Circuit (Dekalb County), Georgia
  • Former At-Large City Councilmember Tameika Isaac Devine, Columbia, South Carolina
  • State Rep. Denise Ennett, District 80, Arkansas
  • City Councilmember Marchè Johnson, District 3, Montgomery, Alabama 
  • State Rep. LaKeshia Myers, District 12, Wisconsin
  • Michigan State Board of Education President Pamela Pugh
  • State Rep. Diamond Staton-Williams, District 73, North Carolina
  • State Rep. Jamila Taylor, District 30, Washington state
  • State Del. Jheanelle Wilkins, District 20, Maryland
  • City Councilmember Carolyn Wysinger, El Cerrito, California
  • State Rep. Regina G. Young, District 185, Pennsylvania

The Inaugural Cohort

The 2022 inaugural cohort of Seated Together:

Each of these women are already leaders in their communities and creating positive change. We are honored to have them in our inaugural cohort.

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