Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

National Week of Conversation: Uniting Americans to #DisagreeBetter

Bodie is a p rofessor of integrated marketing communication at the University of Mississippi and chief listening officer at the Listen First Project.

In an era when division often takes center stage, the National Week of Conversation emerges as a beacon of hope. Now in its seventh year, NWoC invites Americans to rise above division April 15-21 by participating in a signature experience that builds connections across differences. NWoC offers a variety of unique opportunities for individuals from all walks of life to enjoy meaningful engagement with their fellow Americans and strengthen the fabric of our nation.


NWoC is a week to become inspired, equipped and engaged in bridge building. It was created for those exhausted by the division and hatred in our country. It was created for those seeking ways to turn down the heat of polarization.

Organized by the Listen First Coalition – which includes over 500 organizations committed to bridging divides – and in partnership with the National Governors Association’s #DisagreeBetter campaign, NWoC is a nationwide initiative with countless opportunities for local engagement. Throughout the week, Americans from coast to coast will have the chance to join virtual and in-person activities, including panel discussions, workshops, community forums, one-on-one conversations and the inaugural Better Together Film Festival. These events are designed to facilitate dialogue on crucial issues, share stories and experiences, and explore ways to collaboratively address the challenges facing our nation.

This year NWoC is also excited to be partnering with hundreds of Public Broadcasting Service stations across the country in airing the film “Divided We Fall: Listening with Curiosity.” Check your local PBS station to see when the film is airing in your area, or see the PBS WORLD schedule for other airing times.

NWoC is about creating spaces for conversations that help us rediscover our shared humanity and the love we have for our country. It is about learning to search for common ground rather than conflict. It is about respecting where we disagree rather than trying to avoid or attack differences of opinion. It is about committing to #DisagreeBetter.

By participating in NWoC, Americans can show up for each other and the country we all love. Everyone is invited to take part in this transformative week.

Get more information about the National Week of Conversation, including a schedule of in-person and virtual events and learn how you can get involved.

Read More

Stitching & Sustainability: Refugee Artisan Initiative

ruler, measuring tape, working hands

Stitching & Sustainability: Refugee Artisan Initiative

Since Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, there has been an increase in anxiety around citizenship for immigrants and refugees in the United States.

By the end of his first day, Trump signed 10 executive orders relating to immigration. This included an order to halt refugee admissions, including tens of thousands of refugees who had already been cleared to come to the U.S. by the Biden administration. The order, “REALIGNING THE United States REFUGEE ADMISSIONS PROGRAM,” largely targets the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.

Keep ReadingShow less
It’s Time for a New American Agenda
blue and white star print textile

It’s Time for a New American Agenda

America is once again gripped by multiple political and societal crises. Most days in our local communities and in our wider public lives it can feel like we’re living through dizzying confusion, chaos, and division.

Acrimonious partisanship only deepens in Washington, DC, and our state capitols. Renewed calls for a third party are heating up, while Democrats plan to spend tens of millions of dollars to understand voters better, as if they had just discovered some new civilization. It’s like we’re collectively stuck in the Tower of Babel, unable to understand one another and what we share in common.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hope, Champagne, and the Courage To Celebrate in Turbulent Times
Getty Images, wilatlak villette

Hope, Champagne, and the Courage To Celebrate in Turbulent Times

“There is hope, a way forward, however unpredictable. We can dance around the petulant games of powerful men. But, as ever, we are at the mercy of the seasons.” - Widow Clicquot

“Widow Clicquot,” adapted from a book by Tilar J. Mazzeo, is the story of Barbe Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin, widowed in 1805 at the age of 27, who inherited her husband’s debt-ridden vineyards. Against all odds, particularly as women had virtually no economic “value” or power in the early 19th century, she, and her vineyards, eventually prospered. It was she who created the Veuve Clicquot champagne dynasty.

Keep ReadingShow less
Defining The Democracy Movement: Ben Bain
- YouTube

Defining The Democracy Movement: Ben Bain

The Fulcrum presents The Path Forward: Defining the Democracy Reform Movement. Scott Warren's interview series engages diverse thought leaders to elevate the conversation about building a thriving and healthy democratic republic that fulfills its potential as a national social and political game-changer. This initiative is the start of focused collaborations and dialogue led by The Bridge Alliance and The Fulcrum teams to help the movement find a path forward.

The latest interview in this series features Ben Bain, Director of State Capacity at the Niskanen Institute and Volunteer Coordinator in Washington, DC, for More Perfect Union, a bridging organization—where we originally met.

Keep ReadingShow less