Collingswood Women Learn About Public Service During Emerge New Jersey Political Kickoff Weekend

Collingswood, NJ -- Two Collingswood women were among 20 Democratic women who were selected from throughout the state to participate in Emerge New Jersey’s third “Politics 101 in New Jersey,” class.

Aerielle Belk and Colleen Curren were part of Emerge New Jersey’s largest class to date.

Kickoff weekend was held on Saturday, Jan. 16, and Sunday, Jan. 17, when class members learned the nuts and bolts of a successful political campaign from local, county and state elected officials.

“I chose to apply to the Emerge New Jersey program because I would like to seek a seat in public office in order to advocate for issues that are important to me, as an educator, and important to the constituencies that I will represent,” Curren said. “I hope to learn the skills that are essential to run a successful campaign, as well as how to be a successful representative for my community. The Emerge program is important to have in New Jersey because women are underrepresented in New Jersey’s elected public offices and can bring a diverse and unique perspective to New Jersey’s political climate. With the training provide by Emerge New Jersey, I will bring my unique perspective and skill sets to New Jersey’s electorate.”

“My main goal in life is to help uplift more youth out of poverty. As a Christian, I believe that each person has the power within himself or herself to overcome challenging circumstances, but systemic barriers within our society can make it challenging for youth to preserve through the obstacles,” Belk said. “I would like to use the power of public office to help underserved youth. I plan to use a position on the school board to make changes that will create more opportunity for our youth to break the poverty cycle. I believe Emerge New Jersey will provide me with the tools, network, and guidance to move from speaking about making a difference to actually creating a difference.”

On Saturday, the new class had the opportunity to learn from Hillside Councilwoman and Emerge New Jersey ’14 Alumnae, Diane Murray; Middlesex County Freeholder Deputy Director, Carol Bellante; and Assemblywoman Mila Jasey.

“Too often women wait to be asked to run for elected office and that needs to change. Women need to be intentional about political engagement - organizing, supporting, running,” Jasey said. “Emerge New Jersey provides the tools, training and support to position Democratic women to successfully pursue opportunities for elected office.”

Day Two allowed members of the new class to work in groups with local, county, and state elected officials. New Jersey State Democratic Committee (NJSDC) Vice Chair, Lizette Delgado-Polanco; Hunterdon County Democratic Committee Chairwoman, Arlene Quinones Perez; Westfield Democratic Committee Chairwoman, Janice Siegel; Monmouth County Democratic Committee Chairman, Vin Gopal; and Essex County Freeholder Vice President, Brendan Gill were all in attendance to share their political insight and expertise to the new class.

“Having the opportunity to provide my political and professional expertise to Emerge New Jersey’s 2016 class was a great experience and one I hope to do again in the future. I know firsthand the difficulties of running for office; and having the proper tools and skills makes all the difference. Emerge New Jersey provides those tools, a powerful network and a rigorous curriculum,” Gill said. “Being able to teach the 2016 class how to create and implement an effective, successful political campaign will benefit them as they pursue their political aspirations. I’m glad I was called on to do the job and look forward to seeing what the new class does in the future.”

After the training concluded on Sunday, a kickoff reception was held to celebrate the new class of women taking the first step toward elected office in New Jersey. During the reception, each woman in the 2016 class was introduced to Emerge New Jersey’s board members and alumnae, as well as local elected officials. East Orange Mayor Lester Taylor; Somerset County Democratic Committee Chair, Peg Schaffer; Morris County Democratic Committee Chair, Chip Robinson; NJSDC South Asian American Political Caucus Co-Chair, Satish Poondi; Metuchen Councilwoman, Dorothy Rasmussen; and Former Edison Mayor and current Chairman of New Jersey Policy Perspective, Jun Choi were in attendance to welcome Emerge New Jersey’s 2016 class.

The attached images of Aerielle Belk and Colleen Curren were provided by Emerge New Jersey