This Group Got Black Lives Matter And Tea Party Leaders To Talk. Can The Rest Of Us? - Braver Angels

This Group Got Black Lives Matter And Tea Party Leaders To Talk. Can The Rest Of Us?

By Megan Mertz, The Federalist

In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, the growing divide between Americans was visible everywhere—in hateful rhetoric on social media, between longtime friends with different political affiliations, and even around the Thanksgiving dinner table. In some cases, two minutes in the voting booth radically altered relationships spanning many years.

Among the organizations working to repair these divisions is Braver Angels, which was founded in late 2016 and just held its second national convention June 20-23 in St. Louis, Missouri.

Braver Angels takes a different approach to the problem of polarization. It doesn’t try to change opinions; it simply brings people from opposite sides together to listen, combat stereotypes, and find common ground.

Read the Full Article Here

More to explore

‘It absolutely changed my life’: How a conflict-ridden ‘dirtball’ became a legendary bridge builder

Growing up in the eighties, his family moved all around the Midwest as his parents chased down steady, blue-collar work: factory jobs, construction, truck driving, whatever could pay the bills. “We were always poor,” Wilk said. And whether they were in Iowa, South Dakota, Colorado, or Minnesota, he often found himself on the outs. “It didn’t matter which side of the tracks we were on,” he said. “It was always the wrong side of the tracks.”

Read More »

‘Braver Angels really helped me to see the humanity in people from the other side’: One high schooler’s journey to better political conversations

A native of Boulder, Colorado, Mia didn’t know many Trump supporters—and she was nervous to engage with them. “I was like, ‘Don’t they hate women? Don’t they hate black people?’” she said. “That was my initial belief because that’s what I had heard about people who voted for Trump.” But she quickly realized she was wrong. During the first Braver Lens session, Mia was able to connect with conservatives in the group and recognize their points of commonality. “When we met, they showed their pictures, and explained their life stories, and I was able to see where our values overlap,” she said. 

Read More »

How a Christian conservative found his way to Braver Angels

As a young man, Daniel’s father emerged from a broken, dysfunctional home looking for direction and found it while attending a Billy Graham crusade in Chicago. There, he “walked forward”—committing himself to Jesus Christ and changing the trajectory of his family. Not long after, he married Daniel’s mom, a Christian convert whose grandparents sought refuge in America after escaping pogroms in Europe.

Read More »

1 thought on “This Group Got Black Lives Matter And Tea Party Leaders To Talk. Can The Rest Of Us?”

  1. Richard Heinrich

    I am hoping to complete the training to be a moderator this month. I heard from Bill Doherty about the tea pary/black lives matter conversation at the Convention. Are there any videos of the debate and other events from the Convention? I have scoured the website but can’t find anything from the convention except for news reports.

Leave a Comment

Braver Angels Support