Learn to Lead: The White House Project at Brooklyn College

Erin Vilardi, vice-president of program and communication for The White House Project, addresses future candidates.

If we can put a man on the moon, we can put a woman in the White House. That's how Marie C. Wilson, founder and president of The White House Project, sees it. Wilson believes the first step is electing more women to office. To facilitate that, the project—whose goal is to advance women's leadership in all communities and sectors—holds workshops and "boot camps" to teach young women the organizing and leadership skills, debating strategies and fundraising techniques they'll need to win a race.

The first Go Lead Women's Political Leadership Training session, sponsored by The White House Project and the Brooklyn College Women's Studies Program, took place on Friday, January 8. At the end of the 12-hour day, 85 future candidates left the Student Center primed for success.

The keynote speech, delivered by Brooklyn College Foundation Board of Trustees Chairman Marge Magner, set the tone. Founding member and managing partner of Brysam Global Partners, Magner, '69, is the benefactor of the college's Magner Center for Career Development and Internships. After the event, Magner remarked, "Given the challenges brought on by the global financial crisis, it is more important than ever to have women participate fully in the political and business processes that shape our lives. This program provides women the inspiration and opportunities in skills training and networking that will put more women where we need them, in critical decision-making roles."

Participants learned how to identify a constituency, establish a clear identity as a candidate, hone their message to ring clear in a stump speech or sound bite, build their constituencies and raise campaign funds. Stephanie Berger, president of Berger Strategies and a former finance director of the National Democratic Committee; Rhonda Briggins-Ridley, a lawyer, lobbyist and grassroots organizer; and Erin Vilardi, vice-president of program and communication for The White House Project, provided resource- and skills-building exercises and examples of political and fundraising dos and don'ts. During lunch and dinner, participants were encouraged to get to know one another. "This is your network," Berger told them. A late afternoon panel discussion brought Brooklyn Deputy Borough President Yvonne Graham, New York State Assemblywomen Rhoda Jacobs and Joan Millman, and Binghamton City Councilwoman Lea Webb, a White House Project alumna, into the mix.

Many participants had prior experience in electoral politics, membership or student organizations, or charitable works. All plan to run for office within the next 10 years or continue to organize in their communities, and five are currently engaged in a race. During a pause in the program, Associate Professor of History Jocelyn Wills observed the diversity of the enthusiastic participants. "This is what Brooklyn College is about," she remarked.

The day was the culmination of a semester-long drive led by Associate Professor of Education Barbara Winslow, whose work on the Brooklyn College Shirley Chisholm Project and Archive, which she founded and directs, initially attracted the attention of The White House Project. "The event exceeded our expectations in every way," said Winslow. "With the support of Brooklyn College President Gould, we created a terrific committee, which brought together more than 80 alumnae, students, faculty, staff and members of the larger Brooklyn community for an extraordinary day. Participants made lifelong friends, prepared themselves for political engagement and reaffirmed their commitment to work for the greater good."

"The training was a life-altering experience," said senior Dacia R. Carter, whose Facebook group, Books: Share the Wealth, sends used books to Guyana's main libraries. "The mingling of politicians, students and nonprofit organization representatives motivated and strengthened some of my peers' desire to run for political positions. When I left the conference, I was quite determined to make a contribution by advocating for children's education."