Representation Matters

New CCM training invests in leaders of tomorrow

When CCM launched the Communities Advancing Racial Equity Series (CARES) last year, it was with a deep commitment to promoting the values of fairness, equity, and representation. One of the founding principles of our nation is the idea of representation in our governing bodies – a goal that America is still striving for. Communities of color are still vastly underrepresented in politics – local and federal – which is why CCM partnered with The Campaign School at Yale University to hold a two-day training under the banner of “Representation Matters.”

Co-sponsored by the Connecticut Interlocal Risk Management Agency, the Parent Leadership Training Institute and the CT Commission on Women, Children, Seniors, Equity and Opportunity, this two-day educational series was created to foster that more equitable future.

Participants learned the fundamentals of campaigning for and holding elected office, volunteering on boards and commissions, and engaging with experts in nearly every area of local government.

The first day of training attended by over 160 individuals, held on February 13, was led by Patti Russo, the Executive Director of the Campaign School at Yale, which has been training women for over 20 years to hold leadership positions, to set up campaigns, fundraise, and more. Graduates of the program included Representative Gabrielle Giffords and Presidential-candidate Kirsten Gillibrand.

-Shawn Wooden, Connecticut State Treasurer

I’m the only African American elected treasurer in the Country. I saw the ways that systemic racism affects us. My story is the exception not the rule. We need to change representation at all levels. It’s essential to creating a bigger table with more chairs to confront our challenges.

On the second day of training (February 27th), participants heard from State Treasurer Shawn Wooden on how to be a change agent in your community, Mark Overmyer Velazquez, the UCONN Hartford Campus Director, on how to serve on local boards and commissions, Scott Jackson, Chief Administrative Officer of New Haven on Municipal Governance and Finance, and Kari Olson of Murtha Cullina on Ethics, Public Meetings, Roberts Rules, Freedom of Information and more. “I’m the only African American elected treasurer in the Country. I saw the ways that systemic racism affects us. My story is the exception not the rule. We need to change representation at all levels. It’s essential to creating a bigger table with more chairs to confront our challenges.“

A panel of experts from local government convened to discuss lessons learned and best practices including Suzette DeBeatham-Brown, Mayor of Bloomfield, Roberta Gill-Brooks, Tax Collector in Branford, Ed Ford, Councilmember in Middletown, Cathy Iino, First Selectwoman of Killingworth, Francisco Santiago, New Britain City Council Minority Leader, Gerard Smith, First Selectman of Beacon Falls, and Aidee Nieves, President of the Bridgeport City Council.

This work is extremely important, perhaps now more than ever. In Hometown Inequality, a recent book from scholars at Tufts University and The University of Massachusetts Amherst, they say “Of great importance to studies of inequality in American democracy, we find that racial biases in representation in local politics are much larger and more pervasive than are economic biases.”

As President Lincoln declared in the Gettysburg Address, one of the great documents of unity and equality, the ideal nation is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people; in the 21st century, we only need the willpower to make that a reality. Over this two-day training, the tools and know-how to get into local politics and serving your community were given to all who attended.

“People reminded me that you are representing Latinos and People of Color whether you like it or not, so that was important to me. Being in that space, it was powerful and a little scary too.”

Mark Overmeyer-Velazquez, UConn Hartford Campus Director