Latina Civic Action hosts Millville gathering to boost women in politics

Latina Civic Action will bring its Millville bench-building push to Reese’s House as it works to move more Latinas from civic participation into candidacies. The group’s June 27 gathering is meant to confront a familiar barrier in New Jersey politics: Latinas remain underrepresented in the rooms where school, municipal and county decisions are made.

The Latinas Building the Bench Gathering is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 27, at Reese’s House, 66 Sassafras Street, in Millville. The event is being organized through Action Network RSVP, and Latina Civic Action is presenting it as part of its statewide effort to inspire more women to pursue leadership roles and to build a pipeline of women prepared for elected office.

The organization traces its roots to efforts led by Latina leaders in 2001, when, it says, only 3% of New Jersey legislators were Latinas. Latina Civic Action says that share grew to 9% by 2021, a change it uses to argue that organized recruitment and training can alter who gets into public life and who makes policy.

Latina Civic PAC, the group’s political arm, describes itself as a non-partisan political action committee focused on increasing the number of Latinas in elected and appointed office in New Jersey. That mission places the Millville gathering in a practical lane, aimed at women who are not just voting or volunteering, but considering how to move into the next tier of local leadership.

The group’s work also sits within a broader network of training and mobilization. Latina Civic Action has partnered with UnidosUS Action PAC on Latino voter mobilization efforts, and Rutgers’ Center for American Women and Politics lists ELLA Wins, a Latina-focused elections and leadership academy tied to New Jersey’s Ready to Run program. Rutgers says ELLA Wins includes a half-day session targeting issues of particular interest to Latinas running for political office.

For Cumberland County, the significance is immediate. A Saturday gathering in Millville is not just another civic meeting at 66 Sassafras Street; it is a recruitment point for residents who may be the next candidates for school board, council or county office, and for the networks that help them get there.