Better Angels Project seeks Trump Supporters for ‘One America’ Gathering
When: July 14 – 16
Where: Coddington Rd. Community Center, Ithaca, NY
Contact:
Dana LaCroix – BetterAngels@twcny.rr.com or 607-238-7279
The Better Angels organization (better-angels.org) is currently seeking Trump supporters to join non-Trump supporters for a weekend of facilitated conversation, refreshments, music and fellowship as part of its ‘One America’ National Bus Tour. The project, which will take place in Ithaca (venue TBA) the weekend of Friday, July 14 – Saturday, July 16, seeks to help bridge the divide between citizens on the political left and right.
“It is necessary that we have an equal number of ‘red’ Americans and ‘blue’ Americans participate in the gathering and so far our ‘blue’ numbers are too high.” said Dana LaCroix, one of the project’s organizers. “In our efforts to reach out to Donald Trump supporters we’ve found that many are reluctant to participate for fear of being attacked or criticized for their views. But the goal of the One America workshop is that everyone who attends should leave the workshop feeling they’ve been heard, regardless of what their standpoint on any issue may be. We are interested in conversation, not conversion,” said LaCroix.
Keith Johnson, a Republican voter and Trump supporter who participated in the One America workshop in Southwestern Ohio said, “If you did 20,000 of these across the nation, you would change the world… because people are talking to people!”
The goals of the project according to the Better Angels organization are “to better understand the experiences, feelings, and beliefs of those on the other side of the political divide; to see if there are areas of commonality in addition to differences; and learning something that might be helpful to others in our community and the nation.”
The workshop is organized by area residents and moderated by David Blankenhorn, president of Better Angels, and Bill Doherty, senior fellow with Better Angels and family therapist and professor at the University of Minnesota. The weekend will end with a pot-luck dinner and live music. Participants will receive modest compensation as a thank you for their time.
Interested individuals please contact Dana LaCroix at BetterAngels@twcny.rr.com or 607-238-7279.