A Braver Angels Top Ten

As 2021 comes to a close, we look back at some of our top accomplishments over the past year:

The Working People’s Project. This year we launched a working-class coalition of conservatives, progressives, and others, of every race and ethnicity, who are committed to working with each other—rather than against each other—to strengthen our democratic republic. Its main initiative? Our We the People’s Forum, where everyday Americans get time at the podium. Here are two conversations that got us talking: We the People’s Forum: When Polarization Comes For The Janitor and We the People’s Forum: Inside America’s Crisis of Belonging. Join the project at our Working People’s Project page.

Braver Angels Alliances. Our local alliances are the beating heart of Braver Angels, and with 11 new chapters in 2021, the network has never been stronger. Seventy-four total alliances—all with cross-partisan leadership—are bringing Red and Blue together in cities and rural towns all across the country. Want to meet some of their leaders? Check in with our Colleague of the Week feature. Want to connect with an alliance in your community, or start your own? Tune in to this Special Podcast on BA Alliances, find out how to contact your State Coordinator, and learn more on our Alliances page.

Braver Angels Music. Our work has a soundtrack, and the Braver Angels Music team is setting the healing beat. You feeling it? Connect with our growing community of songwriters at BraverAngelsSongwriters; nominate a Braver Angels Artist of the Month, like recent honoree Alvin Garrett; and support the team’s 2022 initiatives while you hear Red/Blue leaders Alma Cook and Micah Hendler find harmony in their (beautiful!) rendition of “Winter Wonderland.”

Braver Angels Debates. This year brought some of the bravest topics yet to our growing national debates program—from a controversial discussion on the 2020 election to conversations on race, vaccines, and more. Coming up in 2022, our Debate Team is stepping up big not just on Zoom, but on campus. Our College Debates and Discourse partnership with ACTA and Bridge USA launched its 60th collegiate debate in three years last month, engaging 2,900 students from at least 50 schools. We’ll call that a win.

Braver Angels Workshops and Programs. The skills for bridging the divide? They’re easier to learn than a lot of people think. And we kept proving that this year with a slate of new workshops, from new 1:1 Conversations across divides to our Skills for Social Media e-course and our Being Red in a Blue Environment Workshop (with Being Blue in a Red Environment Workshop coming soon in 2022!). Plus: We launched the groundbreaking Helping Loved Ones Divided By Politics program, where our own Dr. Bill Doherty helps relatives troubleshoot their political divisions LIVE in front of a learning audience. Stay tuned for the next event.

America’s Public Forum. Pushing back polarization gives us a lot to talk about—and we’re keeping the conversation going with our signature ideas and conversation series. Memorable highlights from 2021 include Practical Politics for Political Minorities, featuring Elizabeth Doll and Michael Cooper (who’ve since become two of the Red/Blue coordinators of our Braver Politics initiative) and Party Factions? Multi-Party System? Beyond Two-Party Polarization, featuring Lee Drutman and others. Coming in 2022: APFs featuring Steven Pinker, Yuval Levin, and more.

Braver Social Media. Our community knows how to come together—even in spaces where it’s all too easy to fall apart. On Twitter we’re constantly connecting with partners in this work. On Facebook you’ve shared powerful responses to prompts on everything from dating across the political divide to “How do we incentivize our politicians to work together?” And on Instagram, we’re dropping inspiration, like this Portrait of Common Ground we painted with *your* words and voices. Follow us and join the conversation!

Braver Politics. Last month we announced “Braver Politics,” our new initiative to bring the work of Braver Angels into the halls of power by engaging candidates and elected officials at all levels of government. We’ve already begun to pilot Braver Politics workshops at the local level, in state legislatures, and in the U.S. Congress, which Good Morning America profiled a few weeks ago. We’re gearing up for a full public launch in January. In the meantime, members can sign up to become a volunteer leader.

Braver Angels Podcast: The Braver Angels Podcast has grown by leaps and bounds by modeling a more creative, constructive, and compelling approach to political media. Recent episodes included bringing together a leader from Black Lives Matter, a Trump supporter, and an ICU doctor for a raw discussion on the COVID vaccine; talking to Andrew Yang about his new political party; and a roundtable featuring four women — two red and two blue — discussing abortion. We also launched the John Wood, Jr. show with episodes featuring guests such as Dave Rubin and Dennis Prager.

Braver U: Braver Angels continued to expand its cultural work in the areas of music, film, and academia. We launched our Scholars Council,  an independent, volunteer network of scholars balanced across the political spectrum and the human sciences who support bringing Americans together to bridge the political divide. Our book club and film club are gearing up for a new year, and several universities collaborated to produce a rigorous evaluation of our workshops when it comes to measurably reducing polarization.

— Mónica Guzmán and Ciaran O’Connor