Programs & Agenda
In honor of the 250th Anniversary of the founding of our nation, we will be convening on hallowed grounds in Philadelphia to look back, understand this historical moment, and renew our Founders’ pledge. It will also be an opportunity for us, on our 10th Anniversary, to begin our next chapter.
We will explore courageous citizenship and understand how we, as courageous citizens, can take action at the individual, local, and national levels. We will look at the progress made thus far by the Citizens Commission on Immigration, our national initiative that emerged from the votes of our delegates at our 2024 National Convention. And together, we will develop a new pledge, one that is rooted in our history and made by us, the people, for this moment.
The style will be participatory. Experts in attendance will be on tap, not on top. The convention will be co-chaired by one conservative and one liberal leader who will use adapted parliamentary procedure to ensure equal participation.
Step into Courageous Citizenship
At the 2026 Braver Angels National Convention, we’re inviting delegates to step into courageous citizenship.
What does that actually look like? And how does it show up in our politics? That’s what we’ll explore together over the course of the convention.
In 2024, nearly 800 delegates came together to vote on the issue Braver Angels would take on next. We considered healthcare, free speech, gun rights and regulation, the economy, and more. But delegates overwhelmingly voted for immigration.
Since then, we’ve launched the Citizens Commission on Immigration (CCI), bringing people from across the political spectrum together to find shared solutions and present them to their congressional representative. We’ve also expanded our work beyond the grassroots level, convening an Immigration Policy Roundtable with leading voices in the field, including our Convention Co-Chairs.
CCI is what courageous citizenship looks like in practice: people who disagree, working together to find common ground and move the country forward. Join us in 2026 to see that work up close and to take part in it yourself.
Meet Our Convention Co-Chairs
Diego Sánchez
Blue Co-Chair
Vice President of Policy and Strategy at the Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, where he leads the organization’s policy team and legislative and administrative agenda. An immigration lawyer and policy strategist with over 15 years of experience, he works at the intersection of higher education, public policy, and government relations, helping college and university leaders navigate policy developments affecting students, campuses, and communities. He is also a Non-Resident Fellow at Cornell University’s Center on Global Democracy.
Before joining the Presidents’ Alliance, Diego directed the federal immigration portfolio at the Southern Poverty Law Center. Across his career, he has led strategy, coalition engagement, and policy advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. His areas of expertise include higher education and immigration policy, tuition equity and college access for immigrant students and Dreamers, and engagement with policymakers, campus leaders, and partner organizations.
Diego serves on the Leadership Team of the Citizens Commission on Immigration, an initiative of Braver Angels dedicated to finding durable areas of common ground on immigration policy and advancing civil discourse across political differences. He holds a J.D. and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and philosophy from St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida. His commitment to expanding educational opportunity for immigrant students is deeply personal, shaped by his own journey as an undocumented college student and former DACA recipient.
Jim Robb
Red Co-Chair
Jim Robb is Vice President of Alliances at NumbersUSA, the largest-member immigration group in America. The group supports modernized, more sensible immigration, which it defines as no illegal immigration and lower immigration levels geared toward protecting America’s workers.
Jim helped found NumbersUSA 30 years ago, where he pioneered web-based political activism tools, which group members have used to send 50 million messages to Congress.
He is especially interested in Hispanic political development in the U.S., having authored Political Migrants: Hispanic Voters on the Move, the first book to trace the shift of Hispanic voters into the Republican Party.
A member of Braver Angels’ Citizens Commission on Immigration leadership team, Jim frequently speaks with fellow convention co-chair Diego Sànchez. They will appear together at the University of California–Irvine in early May, and at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this September.
A Pledge Renewed
In 1776, our Founding Fathers convened in Philadelphia to determine the future of the 13 colonies. Together, in the Pennsylvania State House, they drafted a Declaration that would sever ties with the British Empire and start a new nation, soon to be known as the United States of America. And in support of this Declaration, they made a pledge to each other:
“We mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”
These are the words—the promise—that have held our new nation together for the past 250 years. Between now and the convention, we’re going to start developing a new pledge, one that we will create together. A committee of delegates—staff and volunteers—will begin drafting a pledge using your direct input. At the convention, we’ll continue to revise this pledge in real-time as a living document, with the goal of ratifying and adopting this pledge together at the end of the convention.
Registered delegates will receive communications in the coming weeks about how they can start giving input into this new pledge.
Featured Speakers
Rep. Tom Suozzi
U.S. Representative for New York, District 3 and Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick
U.S. Representative for Pennsylvania, District 1 and Co-Chair of the Problem Solvers Caucus
Sarah Isgur
Senior Editor at The Dispatch & Host of Advisory Opinions
Maury Giles
CEO, Braver Angels
John Wood Jr.
National Ambassador, Braver Angels
Mónica Guzmán
Host of A Braver Way and Author of I Never Thought of It That Way
Yuval Levin
Director of Social, Cultural, and Constitutional Studies at the American Enterprise Institute
Manu Meel
Co-Founder and CEO of BridgeUSA
Amanda Ripley
Author, Journalist, and Co-founder of Good Conflict
Wilk Wilkinson
Director of Media Operations at Braver Angels and Host of Derate the Hate
Larry Rosen
Creator and Host of The Enemies Project
Sadie Rosen
Head of Operations of The Enemies Project
Bill Doherty
Co-Founder of Braver Angels
Mark Krikorian
Executive Director, Center for Immigration Studies
Jennie Murray
President and CEO, National Immigration Forum
Mark Hugo Lopez
Director of Race and Ethnicity Research, Pew Research Center
Marianne Viray
Executive Director, Disagree Better
Jim Ferrell
Founder of Withiii Leadership and Author of You and We: A Relational Rethinking of Work, Life, and Leadership
Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow in Governance Studies, Brookings Institute
Michael Wear
Founder, President and CEO of the Center for Christianity and Public Life
Vince Stango
Interim President and CEO, National Constitution Center
R. Scott Stephenson
CEO, Museum of the American Revolution
Carla Brown
President and CEO, National Peace Corps Association
Tami Pyfer
Chief Impact Officer of UNITE and co-creator of the Dignity Index
Cornel West
Current holder of the Dietrich Bonhoeffer Chair at Union Theological Seminary
Bob Woodson
Founder and President of the Woodson Center
Featured Conversations
What Do Americans Think About Immigration?
A co-presentation by Pew Research Center and the Citizens Commission on Immigration. This breakout session brings together Mark Hugo Lopez (Director of Race and Ethnicity at Pew Research Center) and leaders from the Citizens Commission on Immigration for a unique exploration of Americans’ sentiments on immigration, examining the issue from both the top-down and the bottom-up.
Are There Threats to our 2026 Elections?
Are there threats to our 2026 election, and if so what can be done? This panel discussion will address whether we face real threats, comparing pending Senate Bill SAVE ACT to the Braver Angels Trustworthy Elections Report (TE) and the Red‑Blue consensus from our 2024 campaign. Two of the leaders from that campaign will speak, as well as other election experts from conservative and liberal backgrounds. They’ll assess the impact of new electoral‑reform ideas, clarify emerging risks, evaluate the legislation’s impact, and explore how to strengthen trust in U.S. elections moving forward.
Debate. Is the Founders’ Vision for America Outdated?
As we celebrate the semiquincentennial of our nation, has the Founders’ vision for America become outdated? Do our founding documents—the blueprints of American democracy—represent timeless masterpieces or fading relics? Is the Founders’ vision a stabilizing anchor or a barrier to solving 21st-century problems? Let’s debate.
A Healthy America: Building Trust in Public Health
Cross-partisan public health recognizes the importance of seriously engaging with all groups within a community, not to impose its will but to genuinely listen and look for common ground in policy-building. This breakout will be a panel discussion among public health experts and community members with a range of views and lived experiences affecting, and affected by, public health policy.
What Faith Owes Democracy, and What Democracy Owes Faith
The founders didn’t just sign a Declaration. They made a pledge: staking their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor on a shared commitment to something larger than themselves. Two hundred fifty years later, faith communities across America are wrestling with what that pledge means for them. Is religion a resource for democracy, or a threat to it? What does courageous citizenship look like from inside a congregation, a church, or a synagogue? Brookings scholar Jonathan Rauch, Christian civic leader Michael Wear, and Rabbi Michael Holzman (creator of faith250) bring different traditions and honest disagreements to one of the most consequential questions of our moment.
The Teenage Perspective: Stories and Insights from High School Leaders
“People always ask, ‘How do we get young people involved in this movement?’ Well, let’s hear from them! This panel discussion is a special opportunity to hear directly from inspiring teenage leaders about how they have brought Braver Angels and bridgebuilding efforts to their schools—and to talk about how to better engage folks their age. Meet our Braver Teens.”
Can We Really Do Nothing About Immigration?
Immigration is now the number one issue on voters’ minds. But is it really an unsolvable issue? What if we started with leaders on both sides talking with each other? In this session, we’ll hear from a conservative leader at one of America’s largest grassroots organizations, Jim Robb from NumbersUSA (an organization advocating for immigration restrictions), in conversation with a leader on the other side of the immigration issue. This session is moderated by Peter Skerry, a professor at Boston College and a leading scholar and writer on immigration issues.
Can We Have a Better Pandemic?
What can America learn from the Covid pandemic so that we can do it better the next time? And what would that improved response look like? Stanford professor Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, co-author of the Great Barrington Declaration and one of the leading critics of the government’s response to the pandemic, will take up these issues with a leader who disagrees with him in a full and free conversation. We’ll discuss missed opportunities, lessons learned, and how we can have a better pandemic response in the future.
Donald Trump’s election in 2016 shed light on a growing reality: many people in America’s working class feel as if they have been left behind and disconnected from the rest of America. Many distrust that America’s political class is looking out for working men and women. Is this growing class divide an even bigger challenge than the partisan divide? And what can be done to bridge this class divide? Batya Ungar-Sargon, author of the new book, Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America’s Working Men and Women and Newsweek opinion editor, discusses these issues with red and blue working-class Americans featured in her book.
Lessons from Building Youth-Led Depolarization
The Civic Renewal Playbook: How to Take Action & Build Hope
Learn a practical playbook of resources for Civic Renewal that generates hope and engagement by volunteers and communities who take leadership, as citizens, in addressing public problems.
Featured Workshops
Common Ground Workshops on Immigration
This year, the Citizens Commision on Immigration will be leading two Common Ground Workshops on immigration, the topic chosen by the delegates at the 2024 National Convention. These Common Ground Workshops will bring together a small group of equal numbers of Reds and Blues to see where agreements can be reached on values, concerns, and policies/ and remedies. Observers are welcome.
Polarization in 2026: Insights from More in Common
The Enemies Project Workshop
A year ago, longtime mediator Larry Rosen and his college-age daughter, Sadie Rosen, launched The Enemies Project, a YouTube channel where “enemies” discover the human being in each other. Since then, The Enemies Project has been viewed over 30 million times across platforms, with over 250,000 subscribers. The most common comment: I feel hopeful again for our country. Come discover why their process works so well in fostering understanding. You’ll be paired for a 1:1-style conversation and learn techniques that have captivated millions.
Debate Chair Training: Mock Debate
Interested in becoming a Braver Angels Debate Chair? Complete your training here in Philadelphia. Participants will have the chance to wield the gavel and role play challenging experiences encountered by Debate Chairs.
NOTE: This session is open to all, but those who intend to complete their Debate Chair qualification must complete the Debate Chair eCourse prior to participating.
How to Organize and Run a Constituent Conversation
This workshop covers all the logistics of preparing for and running a Constituent Conversation. It will give you all the tips and tricks we have learned about how to get your Member of Congress on board, reccruit participants, prepare for both the preceding Common Ground workshop and the Constituent Conversation, line up all the resources you will need, conduct both sessions, get media coverage, and follow up afterward. It will also provide a full set of tools to help you through the process.
A Braver Campus Dialogue for All
At this year’s convention, we’re inviting Braver Angels community and alliance members to experience A Braver Campus Dialogue (ABCD) firsthand! Developed by the College Debates & Discourse Alliance in collaboration with Braver Angels co-founder Dr. Bill Doherty, ABCD moves beyond debating opposing affirmation and negation. Guided by a trained moderator in a parliamentary format similar to Braver Angels debates, participants first explore the root causes of complex issues, and then propose and examine solutions together, closing with a debrief for reflection and shared takeaways. Much more than a demonstration, this session is designed to create genuine intergenerational dialogue. By bringing students and community members into the same room, participants of different ages and life experiences will collaboratively tackle a relevant and complex issue, listen across generational divides, and practice the kind of productive discourse that ABCD was designed to foster.
Polarity to Productivity: Depolarizing the American Workplace
Political polarization has moved off the news feed and into the office — fracturing teams, driving out talent, and following your advisors and clients right out the door. This session puts participants inside the actual engagement arc of Braver Workplace — Braver Angels’ initiative adapting our proven depolarization methodology for the professional world — so they leave with practiced skills, not just new ideas. Come ready to work: you’ll draw on your own lived experience, map real polarities, practice courageous conversations, and leave with a concrete roadmap to bring this into your organization.
Songwriting Workshop
Have you ever written a song with someone you completely disagree with—then recorded and performed it together? Guided by the Braver Angels Music Team, Red and Blue delegates will engage in a “fishbowl” dialogue followed by a collaborative songwriting session. This is your chance to learn from professional musicians, find common ground through music, and create something original.
The Dignity Index: Skills for Our Hardest Conversations
The Dignity Index is a brief, intuitive scale that scores speech from a low of ONE – which sees no dignity at all in the other side – to a high of EIGHT – which sees dignity in everyone. Learning to recognize the features of contempt and dignity in our language helps us communicate and solve problems together – not only in politics, but also in our families, our workplaces, our communities, and in our country. Come learn why veteran Republican pollster Frank Luntz said of the Index, “It is long overdue, and no one’s tried this before: it has the potential to be incredibly impactful.”
Featured Events & Activities
Live Recording of A Braver Way Podcast
Join us for a special live recording of Mónica Guzmán’s hit podcast, A Braver Way. Relaunching for its third season, this special episode will feature Mónica in conversation with renowned conservative political analyst, Yuval Levin.
Grab a Beer with Ben Franklin: Ask Me Anything
Have you ever wanted to hit the pub with one of our nation’s Founding Fathers? Now’s your chance! Join B.J. Pryor, a professional portrayer of Benjamin Franklin, for an Ask Me Anything session at the campus pub. Learn anything you could ever want to know about Ben Franklin while enjoying a pint.
Civic Scholars Council Symposium
The new Civic Scholars Council will be convening in person for an inaugural symposium. Come hear from scholars about their work and the essays they’ve written to help articulate what courageous citizenship looks like in contemporary life.
Film Screenings
Get your popcorn! This year, we’ll be holding special screenings of brand new documentaries, including some world premieres and sneak previews. Full lineup to be announced.
Guided Tours of Historic Philadelphia
The Dialogue Institute at Temple University is pleased to offer a series of three guided walking tours led by Dr. David Krueger in Philadelphia’s historic district. Each tour explores examples of the challenges the founders faced as they committed their lives to working together to build a new nation, one striving for equality and democracy. Digital tours are available on the Religious Freedom Trails app, available on the App Store and Google Play.
Visit Independence Square
Take a shuttle to historic Independence Square for some learning and sightseeing. This year, we are partnering with the National Constitution Center and the Museum of the American Revolution to offer complimentary admission to our convention delegates.
Step into the Exhibit Hall and immerse yourself in a celebration of our movement’s progress, showcasing the remarkable achievements of Braver Angels alliances and field leaders alongside organizations in the Braver Network.
Founders Fireside:
Ask ‘Em Anything!
Speak with Braver Angels Founders David Blankenhorn, Bill Doherty, and David Lapp about whatever’s on your mind.
After the Convention, you’ll have an opportunity to ask the founders anything—whether it’s about the Convention, the election, or the future of Braver Angels in 2024 and beyond.
Closing Night
Concert
On the final night of the Convention, join us for a concert to celebrate our work together. We’ll hear songs from the Braver Angels Music Team and the Common Ground Songwriting Workshops, as well as a special performance from the house band Sons of Serendip.
Come Early, Stay Late
- Tour Carthage College
- Visit the Convention Exhibit Hall
- Attend a symposium on college debates and public discourse
- Interdenominational Chapel Service
- Open Discussion: “Ask Braver Angels Founders Anything”
