Alliance Stories

Check out this space for alliance stories, as well as a periodic focus on specific alliances and best practices for alliances.

If you'd like your alliance spotlighted, fill out this form or email acc@braverangels.org.

Growing an Alliance Series

Central North Carolina Alliance

How innovation and scrappiness helps a North Carolina alliance serve their community - Braver Angels“We’ve pushed the envelope a little bit – particularly with developing new workshop ideas – and had to negotiate with the powers that be in order to have quality control and ensure it’s a positive Braver Angels experience. But that is what we do.”

Jessamine County, Kentucky

‘If we could get past this issue we could talk about almost anything’: Here’s how the Jessamine County Alliance dove into a heated issue - Braver Angels“Abortion has been one of the biggest drivers of politics in this area for decades,” Carolyn said. While Jessamine County used to be a reliably Blue area, the association of abortion with Democrats turned Evangelicals in the area into single-issue Red voters, she explained.

Central/Eastern Washington

‘Most of us have never met in person’: How the rural Central/Eastern Washington Alliance built a community from afar - Braver AngelsAccording to the United States Census Bureau, close to 60 million people – or one in five Americans – live in rural areas like this one. Here's how they stay glued together.

Central Texas

From 11 to 1,500: How a Braver Angels Alliance expanded its reach and made a national impact - Braver AngelsThe key to the Central Texas Alliance’s success is its flexibility. “We try to be responsive and meet our members’ needs,” Norman said. “That’s how we keep people engaged.” And they’re always brainstorming ways to reach out.

Doing the Work: Alliances in the News

Residents explore ethnic bias in a night of difficult conversationsJan. 25—CHEYENNE — Seventy-two area residents, many of them community leaders, gathered at the Laramie County Library on Tuesday night for the first installment of Braver Angels and Better Together's three-part "Stories and Conversation" series. However, the conversations held throughout the night didn't come easy. The 90-minute event was designed to explore the participants' biases, and allow ...

Opinion: Finding Common Ground on Race and Education in Polarized TimesDemocrats and Republicans can find much in common when discussing race and education, but partisan positions and aggressive radicals on both sides work to defeat the greater public good.

Bridging the bitter political divide: New Bern group works to bring Americans back togetherThe national nonprofit Better Angels will hold a New Bern event to spread the word about its mission to bridge the nation's widening political divide.

Sens. Collins and King to explore making bipartisanship work in Congress at “Building Bridges Maine” eventSens. Susan Collins and Angus King will participate in an in-depth online conversation on finding new ways to bring bipartisanship back to Congress. The live Zoom meeting will be hosted by the Maine Alliance of Braver Angels, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to bridging the partisan divide and strengthening this country’s democratic republic. The forum […]

Vermont Braver Angels Live!

Braver Angels of Franklin County, Vermont hosted a picnic on September 11, 2022. We gathered at the base of our community ski slope in a new recreation center in St. Albans to share our experiences and inspire others to start Alliances in Vermont. Fifty-five people from all around Vermont (and beyond) showed up and spent three active hours together.

The group included many local politicians and state candidates from all sides of the aisle.

Each person introduced themselves and let us know their questions and/or expectations.

Vermont State Coordinator Lincoln Earle-Centers showcased Braver Angels through the “Finding Common Ground in Ohio” video. Braver Angels Franklin County Co-Chairs Shanna Ratner and Dan Pipes then introduced our alliance, which was formed in 2017. We reviewed our alliance history, how we operate, and then each of our core group explained why they keep coming back.

Next came a taste of Braver Angels skill development through an exercise in storytelling, skilled listening and skilled inquiry facilitated by Shanna Ratner. New England Regional Coordinator Doug Teschner updated the group on the braver politics initiative, offering to train VT legislators on a number of topics.

After all that, we all dug into a fabulous picnic provided by local Alliance members. People sat grouped by county and ate, talked, and laughed together. Contact information was shared across many levels. This pleasant late summer afternoon gathering resulted in at least three groups across Vermont looking to form their own local alliances.

Steal this idea! Braver Angels in Jackson, MS, recently launched a novel way to get Reds and Blues together: a watch party (yes, with snacks!) to see recorded debates between Republican and Democrat US Senators and then to discuss in Red/Blue pairs. On June 23, 2022, nine Reds and nine Blues met to see Fox News' Bret Baier moderate the debate between Senators Bernie Sanders and Lindsay Graham. Nic Lott, Red co-chair of the Jackson Alliance, came up with the idea; he and Blue co-chair Paul Buckley are planning similar events this month and next.

South Central Idaho speaks up: Letters to the editor for the week of Apr. 1, 2022Our weekly round-up of letters published in the Times-News.

Red/Blue Workshops try to bridge the political divide. Do they really work? More and more nonprofits are bringing Americans with opposing political views together for civil discussions on divisive issues. Critics question whether these encounters produce lasting results.

Braver Angels is building bridges across political divides: Larry Noel and Bill ShaulThere are over 100 members of Braver Angels in Northeast Ohio seeking to bridge partisan divides through workshops and conversations. Join us in this important work, writes .Larry Noel, a pastor and customer service provider in Kent, and Bill Shaul, a retired family physician in Aurora, in a guest column today. The two are among four co-leaders of the Northeast Ohio "Alliance" of Braver Angels.

Connecticut Alliances Press Coverage

Take a look at these news stories to see how Connecticut alliances are telling their story to their local newspapers and press.