Twenty-three leaders who disagree on many things said yes to the same thing this month. They agreed to stand together, publicly, behind the idea that Americans can hold fast to their convictions while staying genuinely curious about the convictions of people on the other side. That’s it. That’s the commitment. For more than nine years, Braver Angels has reached people in every state in the union. The ones who’ve engaged have experienced something that surprises them every time: the relief of disagreeing without contempt, and the discovery that the person across the table is not who the feed said they were.

Braver Angels is powered by volunteers: everyday people who believe they have a role in bringing out the best in our country. And seeing our volunteers in action—giving their time and energy to bring together individuals who never dreamed they’d be in a room together—has buoyed me through all the political uncertainty.

I had just finished drafting this message when I read and watched videos of Alex Jeffrey Pretti being shot to death by ICE agents in Minneapolis. I felt a rush of anxiety, fear, and sadness; but, still, I was hoping it wasn’t true. It was; and it is our reality today…

It takes a special form of courage to keep engaging with people in our lives whose views appall us. Ernest Hemingway called courage “grace under pressure.” We live in a pressurized time, when courageous citizenship requires real emotional work.