“Walk A Mile In My News” Zoom Kickoff Event

Local Focus: San Francisco Bay Area

Much of our polarization may be the result of our news sources, what we consider misinformation or fake news, and the difficulty of separating facts or truth from opinion. This can leave us hunkering down in our own media silos or echo chambers, resulting in limited dialogue and few opportunities to learn from one another.

In the spirit of depolarizing our community and bringing people together, the Braver Angels Sonoma County Alliance invites you to join this exciting “Walk A Mile in My News” experience, in which two people, who identify as either “Blue” (Liberal/Progressive) or “Red” (Conservative), pair up for a two week journey of getting to know each other, sharing news and information about mutually agreed upon subjects of interest, developing friendships, and acquiring a better understanding of how people with a different political perspective may see things.

A “Kickoff” Zoom will be at 10AM on Saturday, September 24th, and an In-Person “Reunion” will be at 10AM on Saturday, October 15th. We expect you to commit about 5 hours, in 4-5 sessions, to meet with your partner between these two dates. You schedule the times and places to meet; by Zoom, by phone, or if you wish, in person.

When you register, you complete a short survey to help match participants. Make sure to provide an email address and phone number, as this is how pairs will contact each other.

This program is guided but self-directed. Its success depends on everyone following an agreed upon code of conduct. We know opinions and viewpoints will differ, sometimes strongly. Given this, we ask everyone to commit to the following pledge:

1. I will approach my partner’s views with curiosity, striving to understand their opinions and reasoning.
2. I will respect my partner’s dignity at all times and recognize their right to hold the viewpoints that they do.
3. I understand that any exchange of views contains some degree of advocacy, but I will not seek to convince the other person to change their mind. The purpose of this program is understanding, not persuasion.

If you know someone on the opposite side of the partisan divide who you think would like to join you in this experience, please invite them, and also let us know below that you would like to be paired with them.