Better Angels

Better Angels is a citizens' organization uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America. We try to understand the other side's point of view, even if we don't agree with it. We engage those we disagree with, looking for common ground and ways to work together. We support principles that bring us together rather than divide us.

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www.better-angels.org

News. Community. Debate. Levers for better democracy.

Civic Ed

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Hands Across the Hills

Hands Across the Hills participants held their third meeting in October 2019. Members are from Leverett, Mass., which heavily backed Hillary Clinton, and Letcher County, Ky., which was equally strong for Donald Trump.

Building a bridge across the countryside for talking in polarized times

Clayton, a novelist and short story writer, is a member of Hands Across the Hills, a group created to improve civic discourse between progressive and conservative parts of rural America.

Sometimes it seems the only thing blue and red voters share is mutual contempt. Organizations like Better Angels or Bridge the Divide try to promote civility by establishing rules for speaking together respectfully in a "safe" space. Their workshops, led by trained facilitators, resist ugly divisiveness. These organizations support an America in which people can talk to one another, and even debate, without demeaning one another.

Our project is doing something different and deeper. Here's our story.

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Ideas at Work: Repairing Our Social Fabric

Organizer: Center for the Study of Liberty

The Center for the Study of Liberty is delighted to bring you a LIVE online conversation with John Wood, Jr. and April Lawson of Better Angels. Better Angels is a national citizens' movement to reduce political polarization. By bringing "reds" and "blues" all across the country together in workshops, debates, and community alliances, they aim to teach practical skills and strategies for communicating across political differences. Yet their vision extends far beyond getting us all through the 2020 election. The leaders of this movement are asking questions like:

"Can we change the trajectory of our civic culture?"
"Can we repair our torn social fabric?"

John and April will share their insights about the "unmooring" that took place in 2016, the influence of college campuses on our national dialogue, the importance of rebuilding our "emotional economy," and much more.

Location: Webinar

Better Angels Debate: Democratic Reforms

Organizer: Better Angels

The goal of a Better Angels Debate is not to "win" the argument. Rather, it is a highly structured conversation in which a group of people listen carefully and meaningfully engage with each other's ideas on a difficult issue. If successful, everyone walks away a little closer to the truth, more aware of the validity in opposing views, and with a tighter community of friendships from across the political spectrum.

Location: OpenGov Hub, 1110 Vermont Ave NW, Suite 500, Washington, DC

Big Picture

Photo courtesy James Coan

James Coan has embraced his new calling while continuing his career as a business consultant.

Meet the reformer: James Coan, professional depolarizer

James D. Coan is co-director of the Media Initiative for Better Angels, a national organization dedicated to reducing political polarization by convening liberals and conservatives in a variety of settings and preaching the virtues of civility and cross-party alliances. A D.C.-area native, he started his career at a Rice University think tank before spending seven years as a strategy consultant, mainly for private-sector energy clients. Starting around the 2016 election he has established himself as one of the country's few depolarization strategists. His answers have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

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Better Angels is building a house united to save our republic. We will overcome polarization. We help Americans see what we share and what can keep America together, both in small workshops and through mass media.

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