Braver Angels Oregon fosters civil discussion

Curtis Blankinship (KEPW News): The Dec. 19, 2024 Encircle Films screening of the film We’re All In This Together, about Daniel Troia, who rode across the United States with no food or money in search of a better understanding of human connection, featured a panel after the film with Luke Grossmiller and Grant Johnson from Braver Angels.

Braver Angels Oregon is working in our local communities by holding workshops, debates, and public presentations designed to bridge the polarizing political divide we experience in our country. These events allow conservatives and liberals to get past the destructive stereotypes so we can have civil conversations about real issues that lead to productive problem-solving.

[00:00:42] Luke Grossmiller explains how Braver Angels started:

[00:00:46] Luke Grossmiller (Braver Angels, Southern Willamette Valley Alliance, Blue Alliance co-chair): Yeah, so, I’m the blue liberal co-chair of our local chapter of Braver Angels and Grant is the red co-chair. And this, having a balance, is really important within Braver Angels.

[00:01:01] So, this is a national organization that started in 2016. In 2017, they had Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump supporters come together for a workshop. They went into the workshop afraid to look at each other. They came out of the workshop feeling just greatly at ease.

[00:01:19] And that was the proof of the concept that Braver Angels has continued to spread throughout the country, is that we can come together and when we do it in a way that is curious and respectful, good things happen.

[00:01:33] We can have a good exchange. So just a week and a half ago, we had a meeting in Eugene with liberals and conservatives on the topic of, ‘Who did you vote for president and why,’ and we got to hear from people who vote for Trump, for Harris, for other candidates or not, for president.

[00:01:57] We got to hear from each other.

[00:01:59] Curtis Blankinship: Grossmiller goes on to relate how dealing with his mother made him realize that we need to accept people as they are.

[00:02:05] Luke Grossmiller: I just care a lot about this country, this world, and the people learning to live together and relate well together. So, you know, how can I apply that vision of a world where people live in peace?

[00:02:20] Where people are able to work well together. Because how are we going to really solve any of the problems in the world if we aren’t able to communicate and think well of one another and experience trust with one another? How could we ever not just keep replicating problem after problem? So this fundamental issue of relationship just seems core to what I want to bring forward in the world.

[00:02:46] And this organization, Braver Angels, came along that I heard about and I thought, that’s great. We want to bring liberals and conservatives together and try to work this out at this point in time. Isn’t it about time that we move into a future with all our technology where we’re able to actually do good with it, right, and not just fight each other and damage the planet.

[00:03:15] And I just want to also bring up, my mom, growing up and the difficulties in dealing with her and trying so hard to get her to see me and change her mind and treat me differently. And you know, it never worked. You know, as much as I wanted that, it wasn’t until I stopped trying to change her and could just accept her for who she was, that we could actually have a relationship, and I could find where I fit and what did work for us, and the rest of it I could put up boundaries and say, ‘No, I don’t want to participate in that with you.’

[00:03:58] But I think that has informed my understanding of how to relate to people when we butt heads, when we don’t see things the same. It’s like, ‘Okay, we see things differently.’ Maybe in this country there are people who think democracy is for everyone, and maybe there are people in this country who don’t believe that.

[00:04:22] That’s an assumption I had a few years ago: It was common ground, we all believe in democracy. I don’t know, I’m not so sure about that. Nowadays, I’m thinking maybe some people think certain people are here to rule and other people are here to kind of be followers. And there might be a disagreement, you know, around that.

[00:04:42] So, I enjoy being in Braver Angels and challenging my assumptions and getting to practice this bridgebuilding work.

[00:04:52] Curtis Blankinship: Grant Johnson says Braver Angels has been a learning experience.

[00:04:55] Grant Johnson (Braver Angels, Southern Willamette Alliance, Red Alliance co-chair): Well, I think I would echo some of the people that were there at the end of this, that they felt a sense of safety in that room, and a real openness.

[00:05:09] It’s kind of like a new freedom to be able to speak what you really think without thinking that you’re going to be demeaned for having said that. So I think we all left kind of with a bit of a group hug, actually.

[00:05:24] I left Oregon and my home state back in 1978 and I spent over 44 years away. I went into the Air Force and had a full career there.

[00:05:37] And then after that, another full career in civil service working for the Department of Defense. And I related to this movie quite a bit. I’ve been in some pretty austere conditions around the world. I have encountered people from around the world with a variety of different thoughts and concepts about how the world ought to look.

[00:06:00] And I’ve even lived with families in different parts of the world as well. And had some incredibly good interactions with people. So, in coming finally back, to my home state. Of course, you all know that when you return somewhere, it’s not the same as when you left. But coming here has been incredibly good because I come with a mindset that I really want to connect with people at this stage of my life.

[00:06:31] I kind of look at my life as in, if you, if you follow any sports, I kind of feel like I’m in the fourth quarter of my life. I don’t want to spend the rest of my days arguing with people. I don’t want to try to get people to think just like I do. My wife will tell you that Grant Johnson has plenty of opinions, and he’s happy to share them with anybody that will listen.

[00:06:59] But, I know that that’s not the way. That’s not really the way. And there was a period of time a couple years ago where I ran into a flyer that Luke had left. And, I saw Braver Angels and I saw everything that it was about. And I knew that that’s where I wanted to be. I didn’t have any idea that an organization like this existed.

[00:07:19] And it’s been a really growing experience for me. I believe it, to have this face-to-face conversation and not be rolling my eyes or making you feel like you’re wrong or I’m demeaning you and so forth, but to really listen. And, I think for all of us in this country, as you’ve been stating here tonight, we have to really consider how divided that we really are and what we’re going to do to bridge that divide.

[00:07:49] Curtis Blankinship (KEPW News): To see a schedule of Encircle Films screenings in Eugene, go to encirclefilms.org. For workshops, debates, and public presentations designed to bridge the polarizing political divide we experience in our country, go to braverangels.org/Oregon. For KEPW News, I’m Curtis Blankinship.

KEPW and Eugene PeaceWorks sponsor Encircle Films, now in its 12th year. The mission of Encircle Films is to create awareness of important social issues by showing impactful documentaries, inviting guest speakers to facilitate audience discussion, and inspiring citizens to get involved in issues of importance to them.