Free online workshop - August 21: Bridging the Divide

In a guest column, Stell Simonton writes about her experience in Braver Angels Georgia, a citizens’ organization that brings community members across the political spectrum together to move beyond polarizing stereotypes.

Simonton has been a freelance writer in Atlanta for a decade. Prior to that, she worked at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a copy editor and digital producer.

A group of Georgia conservatives and liberals met to tackle a sticky issue — how public schools in Georgia should teach about race. Not surprisingly, they held different opinions. However, they didn’t yell or make threats, standing in stark contrast to the clashes at metro Atlanta school board meetings.

Through an online workshop led by a group called Braver Angels Georgia, political adversaries found a path toward common ground. They created a list of points they agreed on, including that schools should teach critical thinking. They agreed that schools must teach the good, the bad and the ugly — a fuller picture of our history that emphasizes the importance of the diversity of ideas.

They had concerns, including worry about hurt feelings and unnecessary shaming of schoolchildren. The group of eight “reds” and eight “blues” jointly formulated some policies they’d like to see in classrooms.

They included teaching a comprehensive history of the formation of our country that allows students to appreciate their history and move forward in community. They also wanted teachers trained in classroom management and conflict resolution techniques to interrupt racially charged situations, showing respect for everyone.

Braver Angels is a national organization begun in 2016. One of the founders, William Doherty, is a professor at the University of Minnesota and a longtime marriage and family therapist. He brought his work with warring couples into the political arena.

Braver Angels Georgia is led by liberal-leaning Sharyn Dowd, a retired associate pastor of First Baptist Church in Decatur, and conservative-leaning Barbara Brown, who teaches math to sixth-grade special education students at Berkmar Middle School in Gwinnett County.

They see a need to talk across the political divide. At the time of the 2016 election, Brown was living with a sister who was liberal. “After the election, she didn’t talk to me for two weeks,” Brown said.

Now in 2022, the sisters are divided on the vaccination issue. But through her experience in Braver Angels, Brown has dropped the “prove-you-wrong” approach. “I’ve gotten better at hearing the other side’s ideas and understanding where they’re coming from,” she said.

Dowd, too, had a relative she found difficult to talk with. He labeled everyone he disagreed with a socialist, she said. “I’ve gotten so much better at listening and asking questions that aren’t ‘gotcha’ questions,” she said. “It’s improved my relationship with him. Braver Angels is so close to one of the core principles of Christianity, which is reconciliation.”

Braver Angels is clear that its mission is not to change people’s political convictions and make everyone into moderates. It’s to teach people how to work together in the face of difference. It does that by setting up a structure in which people can hear the concerns of those on the other side — and even develop curiosity about their contrary views. It creates a way in which opponents can work together and move forward.

How does a two-hour workshop help people step across the cold war between left and right? For one thing, it allows people to meet as people first and political opposites second. It also follows a careful structure.

First, the group breaks into red and blue pairs, who share their background and personal experiences. Eventually, the groups draw up a list of values, concerns and solutions, discussing and making changes to find areas of agreement. The lists are brought back to the group as a whole, reds and blues together. Any member can strike something with which they may disagree.

The Braver Angles approach is not just about avoiding the stalemate of bitter political fights. The value is that when people create a respectful space to talk about their differences, it allows previously unthought-of solutions to emerge. In holding the tension of opposites, new ideas and potential solutions have room to develop.

Another way of saying this is that the rigidity of the current polarization prevents the new and creative ideas we so badly need. And Braver Angels can help.