Education and Training

Empowering women of African descent in the political arena and increasing their numbers in elected and appointed offices at all levels. We gratefully acknowledge The Fund for New Jersey for its major support of this program.

Overview of Run Sister Run

CAWP, together with a steering committee of African American women leaders, sponsors Run Sister Run: Women of the African Diaspora Changing the Political Landscape, a preconference session of Ready to Run™ Campaign Training for Women. Run Sister Run participants attend a half-day session that targets issues of particular interest to African American women running for political office.  Run Sister Run participants then attend Ready to Run™ to learn about the nuts and bolts of working on a campaign. 

Ready to Run™ offers a unique opportunity for potential women candidates to hear directly from prominent elected and appointed leaders, campaign consultants, and party officials about how to get Ready to Run™. Topics covered include fundraising, navigating the political parties, working with the media, and developing a campaign plan.  More details on Ready to Run™ can be found here.

Facts on African American Women in Elective Office

• Nationally, 230 of the 1,791 women serving in state legislatures are African American. Twelve of the 90 women serving in the 111th Congress are African American. For more details and information about African American women serving in other elected positions around the country, visit our African American women in elective office page.
• In New Jersey, ten African American women serve in the state legislature out of 120 seats. For more details and information about African American women serving in other elective positions in New Jersey, view the Women in New Jersey Government fact sheet.

Run Sister Run Steering Committee

Desha Jackson, Co-Chair
New Jersey Women Lawyers Association (NJWLA)

Genia Philip, Co-Chair
Black Americans Lobbying for Leadership of Tomorrow (BALLOT) and Caribbean Bar Association

Charlene Brown
New Jersey External Affairs Vice President, AT&T

Karen Brown
Passaic County Clerk

Valerie Brown
New Jersey State Bar Association

Joan Burke
Association of Black Women Lawyers of New Jersey (ABWL)

Lauren Cooper

Tara Dowdell
The Tara Dowdell Group, LLC

Decanda Faulk
Faulk & Associates, LLC

Joyce Wilson Harley, Esq.
Essex County Administrator

Barbara George Johnson
Legislative Consultant

Joi Taylor
Black Americans Lobbying for Leadership of Tomorrow (BALLOT)

Questions?

Contact Jean Sinzdak at (732) 932-9384, ext. 260 or sinzdak@rci.rutgers.edu.