Seated Together

Seated Together

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

The Program

Emerge is offering a one-of-a-kind advanced candidate leadership program for Black women elected officials who aspire to run for higher office. Seated Together is focused specifically on the unique challenges Black women face as they seek to deepen their impact and move up the political pipeline. Through training and practice, participants will build a network and learn the skills they need to run for higher office – and win.

Each cohort meets for three hours a month for six months. Additionally, there will be two in-person programming sessions in Washington, D.C. The first session will kick off the program in April and the second session will take place on the days leading up to Congressional Black Caucus week in September. The program will cover 30 hours of material, facilitated by top talent in Democratic politics. 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 Political Director, Brianna Carmen at brianna@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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