During conversations with older Black leaders, Chicago political strategist Alex Sims learned that many of them want to pass on knowledge and career advice to younger generations, but wasn’t sure how to go about doing so.
The Black Bench is Alex Sims’ way of bridging that generational gap.
Together with program co-director Ronnie Mosley, Sims launched a new program last week called The Black Bench, an initiative designed to cultivate new Black leaders by imbuing them with skills in various areas of public affairs including governance and community organizing. The six-month fellowship features workshops based on themes such as “organizing vs. The Machine,” the legislative process and more.
A coalition of Black politicians, community organizers and leaders in both the for-profit and nonprofit worlds comprise the advisory board, including Jonathan T. Swain, an election commissioner with the city’s Board of Election Commissioners, and Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of the Chicago Teachers Union.
Sims, 33, envisions The Black Bench as a way for older Black generations to cultivate and train up Black millennials, who will impact the future, whether that be in public office, as activists, as business people or whatever their preferred area of impact may be. The application deadline for The Black Bench is Jan. 31. Apply here.
“Ronnie and I kind of bring different backgrounds, but we’re both organizers, who really care about the black community,” Sims says.
Although she’s a Detroit native, Sims graduated from Northwestern University and went on to work on Obama’s 2012 campaign in St. Louis as the Missouri State Coordinator, labor organizing in Chicago last year for SEIU Healthcare and with former city Treasurer Kurt Summers as the campaign manager for his 2014 election campaign.
In 2018, Sims started her own consulting firm, called APS and Associates, which boasts clients such as The Obama Foundation and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker. She’s also worked on both the 2016 and 2020 election campaigns and handles PR for State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.
On Jan. 25, The TRiiBE spoke to Sims about how the idea for The Black Bench came to be, what they are looking for in potential applicants, and how their programming will deliver on their stated goals.