A First-of-its-Kind VSU Institute For Political Training Now Accepting Applications To Train Future Black Political Leaders. 

The VSU John Mercer Langston Institute for African American Political Leadership Has Successfully Trained Its First Cohort of Political Leaders.   
    
The Virginia State University John Mercer Langston Institute (JMLI) for African American Political Leadership is accepting applications for the country’s next generation of black political leaders. In the upcoming sessions, there will be a specific focus on running for office, serving in office, public administration, protesting, and policy change/implementation.  This year’s cohort will travel the Commonwealth of Virginia exploring the political landscape of the state while also exploring issues that are relevant to different regions. The mission of the JMLI is to develop, empower, and cultivate leaders in the Commonwealth of Virginia through innovative training, policy collection and assistance, programming, research, and networking.    
   
“Black political leadership development is needed now more than ever,” said Dr. Wes Bellamy, Chair of the VSU Department of Political Science and Director of the JMLI. “This is our second cohort. Our first cohort proved to be a much-needed pipeline of Black political leadership as we have seen many of them move on to run for local office, advance in the local political sphere via boards and commissions, and work on campaigns as analysts and staffers.”     
    
Among the success stories of the first cohort of the VSU JMLI are Natasha Crosby who has been appointed to the Commonwealth of Virginia’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Board. Kia Johnson has entered a doctoral program in Educational Leadership for Social Justice. Antonio Cole has become a Society for Human Resource Management Certified Professional. Monti Mercer has started a Master’s Program in Strategic Public Relations at George Washington University.      
    
Applications for the JMLI are being accepted until June 19, 2022, with selections being announced on June 27, 2022. Applicants of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply for this first-of-its-kind political training institute.     
    
View the video or visit the VSU Political Science home page for more information and to apply.  .