We The People's Project
Where everyday Americans get time at the podium.
A place where the people who make this country function every day–the important people who are not politicians or talking heads on screens–make our voices heard and find common-ground solutions to common problems.
The Challenge
“We The People” is all Americans. But for too long, we’ve been told that in order to be successful you need to have a 4-year college degree or more. That in order to have a say in politics you need to be an expert or a lawyer or an “elite.”
As a result, America has far too few truck drivers and nurses who have a meaningful say in our politics. Our political discourse is missing a huge slice of America.
We are Black, Brown, and White.
We might see ourselves as blue-collar, working-class, or just your everyday American.
We are some of the everyday people essential to keeping America running: factory workers, waitresses, electricians, mechanics, stay-at-home parents, you name it.
But we are often sidelined and stereotyped in the media and in the public conversation. We are often spoken of, but rarely spoken with.
It contributes to a growing partisan divide in America and to distrust in each other. Many believe that the political system is rigged for the elite and against ordinary working people.
The Opportunity
At Braver Angels, we believe that it takes all of us to bridge our divides. That for the task remaining before us, we need government of the people, by the people, for the people.
That’s why we started We The People’s Project at Braver Angels.
You can watch the online We The People’s Forums and other conversations we’ve convened – everything from “Can Populists Help America To Find Common Ground?” to “A Citizen’s Proposal To Get Money Out of Politics.”
Would you like to be part of this work building working class participation and leadership for courageous citizenship at Braver Angels? Reach out to co-chair Scott Pell at spell@braverangels.org.
What We Do: We The People's Council
We The People’s Council is a leadership group of everyday, working-class Americans from all political perspectives who help Braver Angels to achieve its goals of bridging the partisan divide and finding solutions that work for all of us. People who join the Council are listed on the Braver Angels website under “We The People’s Council.”
The Council meets together online four times a year to brainstorm and share ideas about:
- How Braver Angels can accomplish its mission of bridging the partisan divide and strengthening our democratic republic.
- Help to develop bipartisan, we-the-people-based solutions for the challenges facing everyday Americans.
- How to bridge the divide between ordinary citizens and "the elites."
Meet Our Co-Chairs
Our work is driven by a core leadership team whose occupations and backgrounds reflect our working-class spirit. True to the Braver Angels emphasis on political balance, we include a balance of people who lean conservative, progressive, and independent. The work is led by two co-chairs:
Scott Pell of Martinsville, Indiana, is a graduate student in U.S. labor history at the University of Indianapolis. He grew up in the deindustrialized area of Terre Haute, Indiana, and has a mix of experiences in working-class jobs and as a student of U.S. history. He leans red.
Corrie Zech of Middletown, Ohio, is a medical records technician. She leans blue.
Past We the People’s Forums
What We Do: We The People's Forum
We The People’s Forum is a Braver Angels event where everyday Americans get time at the podium.
The format is a 1.5-2 hour moderated conversation. The conversations typically take place with 2-4 politically diverse first speakers. After opening discussion with the first speakers, we open it up to the audience for Q and E: Questions and Experiences. Anyone with a question for a speaker is invited to ask a question, and anyone with direct experience on the issue at hand is invited to talk about how their experience has shaped their views. We also explore areas of common ground.
The goals of the Forum are the following:
- More understanding of the lived experiences and perspectives of working-class people and other ordinary Americans.
- Find areas of common ground.
- See how a diverse group of We the People can work together to help our country depolarize and build our democratic republic.
- Build the membership, leadership, and visibility of working people within and outside of Braver Angels.
Tune in
Upcoming We The People's Forums
FAQ
- Anyone who sees themselves as working class or blue-collar, or anyone part of the majority of Americans who has common sense but happens not to have a 4-year college degree; and
- Supports the goal of bringing Americans together to reduce the hate in our political discourse, to better understand our differences, and to find common ground on the challenges facing everyday Americans.
Overall, the Council is balanced across the political spectrum: a balanced number of people who lean conservative, progressive, and independent or other.
Council leaders agree to join Braver Angels as a dues-paying member (only $12 a year).
- Invitation to join exclusive meetings twice a year with the President of Braver Angels to offer guidance and counsel.
- Invitation to participate in two yearly meetings on Zoom with We the People’s Project leaders.
- Participate in Braver Angels workshops, events, and local Alliance activities, as able.
- Receive priority consideration to be a delegate to the annual Braver Angels Convention, to be held in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on July 6-8, 2023.