Music has been a part of Braver Angels since our very first workshop—and it’s been a part of movements in the United States for even longer than that. Whether it was Bob Dylan proclaiming “The Times They Are A-Changin’” in 1964 or Woody Guthrie telling people “This Land Is Your Land” 20 years prior, music has always had a way of giving voice to a feeling that simply can’t be put into words. And nowhere was that more evident than at our convention just four weeks ago.
Credit: Jeff Sevier
>> Read This Is the Music America Needs, a feature on Braver Angels and Gangstagrass in The New York Times
For years leading up to the convention, the Braver Angels music team has been laying the groundwork—building our capacity, running national songwriting contests, and working virtually with team members across the country—to fully integrate music into our movement. Then, in early 2022, my colleague Eric Law told me about Gangstagrass, a bluegrass hip-hop band weaving together styles of music—and strands of American society—often thought to be polar opposites. I knew we had to find a way to bring them to Braver Angels, and the 2023 convention was our perfect chance. Here, people could see and hear for themselves just how beautiful it sounds to have our differences play, sing and live together in harmony.
I didn’t just want Gangstagrass to do a concert at the end of the convention—I wanted music to be an integral part of the entire four-day experience. And with support from the Braver Angels leaders, it was. We kicked off the convention with 650 delegates singing “America the Beautiful” together, watched Mónica Guzmán and her dad perform, “I Never Thought of It That Way,”—a song he wrote as an ode to her book with the same title—and finally, at the closing concert, heard the songs written during the Common Ground Songwriting breakout.
Credit: Jeff Sevier
Each day, delegates came up to me and told me what a profound impact the music had on their already-incredible time at the convention. I felt it, too. Together, we were able to create not just an intellectual experience where folks came away learning something, but a human experience where people came away transformed. The fact The New York Times took notice is just a testament to the power of our work.
“I attended parts of the convention and was struck by two things at once,” Farah Stockman, a member of The New York Times editorial board, wrote. “The positive energy that both Gangstagrass and Braver Angels give off—and how much it runs against the grain of what’s trending in the rest of America.”
The division in our country isn’t just something we hear about. Oftentimes, it’s something we can feel. That’s why music is such a powerful antidote: where polarization breeds distrust, discomfort, and uncertainty, music brings harmony, joy, and ease. Having shared musical experiences creates a sense of common ground and community that make people feel like there’s a foundation that can be built on. And that’s what we want to bring to Braver Angels—and hopefully, beyond.
We’ve seen the role music can play in bringing people together across differences. Now, we want to train songwriters to facilitate this work in their communities and bring the Common Ground Songwriting Workshops to people across the country.
The best thing you can do to support our effort? Share The New York Times article in your network and on social media.With your help, we can generate the energy needed to ensure the convention is just the beginning of music’s impact on our movement. After all, it’s one thing to hear from someone you disagree with, it’s another to write and sing a song with them.
For more information on the Braver Angels music team and how to get involved, go to braverangels.org/music. And make sure you check out Gangstagrass.
Now, please let the people in your life know about the work of Braver Angels, Gangstagrass, and the music team. And stay tuned on what we’re doing next! Who knows? You may just write the song of the Civic Renewal Movement.
