By Julia Mullins, RealClearPolitics
During a time of deep political polarization, not everyone could get a representative from Black Lives Matter and the Tea Party in the same room. But an organization known as Braver Angels can do it – and will – at its second bipartisan national convention later this week.
All told, the grassroots group, which formed in December 2016 to help bridge the civility gap between Republicans and Democrats, will host more than 250 liberal and conservative delegates at Washington University in St. Louis June 20-23.
“Our goal is nothing less than to replace the era of polarization with the era of citizenship,” David Blankenhorn, the president and co-founder of Braver Angels, said in a statement. “An era where we can find one another again as citizens and friends; put love of country before political faction; achieve accurate instead of exaggerated or imagined disagreement; look first for shared values and common ground; and refuse to treat our opponents as enemies.”