Dear Newsletter,
A few weeks ago, I sat across from Minnesota State Representative Walter Hudson for a recorded conversation through The Enemies Project, a program built on a simple but radical premise: that the people we've written off as adversaries might have more in common with us than the story we've been telling ourselves.
Walter is a once "never Trump" Republican who has moved firmly into the MAGA camp. I voted for Trump three times. I'm not in that camp anymore. So on paper, we should have had plenty of ammunition for each other.
We started talking about immigration, specifically the fractures that aggressive ICE enforcement has created, not just in Minnesota where we live, or even across the country, but inside the Republican Party itself. That's where things got interesting fast. What began as a policy disagreement revealed something deeper: we see the "greatest civilizational threat" facing America very differently. That's not a small gap. That's a fundamental one.
And yet.
By the end of the conversation, Walter and I had found something neither of us expected to walk away with: a real bond. Not agreement. Not a debate win for "either side". A bond. The kind that comes from actually listening to someone's story instead of their talking points.
That's the power of The Enemies Project, created by renowned mediator and bridge-builder Larry Rosen and his daughter Sadie. The format isn't magic. It's just structure that slows you down long enough to hear the human behind the position. Larry and Sadie create the conditions for something rare: a conversation where both people leave a little more whole than when they started.
Here's what I keep coming back to: there is always a deeper story. Walter's story. My story. Yours. Most of us are carrying experiences, fears, and convictions that make perfect sense from the inside but look like pure obstinacy from the outside. When you never get past the surface, you never find out why someone actually believes what they believe. You just confirm what you already thought about them.
That's the trap. And Braver Angels exists to help us out of it.
The conversation wasn't comfortable. It wasn't supposed to be. But discomfort, in the right container, with the right intent, is where real understanding begins. Walter and I disagree on some significant things. We probably still do. But I respect him. And I believe he respects me. That didn't happen in spite of our differences. It happened because we were willing to sit with them instead of running from them.
If it moves you, share it. Not to score points, but because someone in your life might need to see that this kind of conversation is still possible.
Larry and Sadie Rosen will be at the Braver Angels National Convention in Philadelphia this June. You won't walk out of their session having experienced the full depth of what they do — that takes time, vulnerability, and the right person sitting across from you. But you'll get enough of a taste to understand the why behind it, and that curiosity might just be the thing that changes how you show up in your next hard conversation.
We won't agree our way to a better country. But we might just listen our way there.
— Wilk
Continue the Conversation at the 2026 Braver Angels National Convention
This June in Philadelphia, thousands of Americans from across the political spectrum will come together for the 2026 Braver Angels National Convention to practice what so many people think is impossible: honest conversation across deep divides. Join us for workshops, debates, storytelling, and conversations designed to help us see each other more clearly and rebuild trust where it’s been lost. Learn more and register here!
Coming Up
Our volunteer forum. Are you a BA Debate volunteer? Curious about becoming one? Looking to gain wisdom or to pass on what you've learned? If so, join our monthly Debate Volunteer Forum.
✅ Sign up Debate Volunteer Forum
Wednesday, May 13 at 8 p.m. ET
Elevator pitch. Do you ever struggle to tell people why you’re drawn to BA in a few short sentences? Join this workshop to learn how.
✅ Sign up Give your Elevator Speech a Lift!
Saturday, May 16 at 12 p.m. ET
Tackle a tough topic. Join equal numbers of Reds and Blues to take a deep dive into immigration and work on finding common ground and proposing solutions-- together.
✅ Sign up Workshop to Address Unauthorized Immigrants in U.S. Today
Saturday, May 16 at 2 p.m. ET
Great debates. If you want to bring a debate to your BA Alliance, one thing you'll want to put extra time into is your resolution. Learn how to choose the right wording and pose great questions.
✅ Sign up Braver Angels Resolution Development Workshop
Thursday, May 28 at 7 p.m. ET
National debate. Is separation between church and state a fundamental pillar of American democracy, or does it ignore our nation’s heritage? Join this debate and tell us what you think.
✅ Sign up National Debate: Christianity & Politics
Tuesday, June 2 at 8 p.m. ET
Get organized. As we head into the convention, our online organizer training is in full swing. Join us for several sessions or one crash course to learn how to become a qualified BA organizer.
✅ Sign up for as many sessions as you’d like Registration for Organizer Week Session(s) OR
one crash course session Saturday, June 6 at 1 p.m. ET Registration for Organizer Crash Course Training
Get organized. Are you a BA debate volunteer? Curious about becoming one? Or looking to gain some wisdom about what it takes? If so, join us for our monthly Debate Volunteer Forum.
✅ Sign up Debate Volunteer Forum: June 2026
Wednesday, June 10 at 8 p.m. ET
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🔔 Join us in Philadelphia. On America’s 250th Anniversary—and Braver Angels’ 10th Anniversary—we will convene on hallowed ground in Philadelphia to renew the pledge the founders took 250 years ago. Our 2026 National Convention is a call for courageous citizens to deepen their commitment to democratic principles and strengthen their bonds with each other. Join us for inspiring speakers, interactive workshops, stirring debates, and many more exciting programs. Learn more and submit your application to attend through our 2026 National Convention website.
🔦Alliance Volunteer Impact Spotlight. At this year’s National Convention, we’re introducing the Alliance Volunteer Impact Spotlight—an opportunity to highlight volunteers whose work is strengthening their communities and advancing courageous citizenship across our Alliances. These spotlights will elevate real examples of impact, so Alliance Co-Chairs, please take a moment to nominate an outstanding volunteer. The nomination window is open May 1- 15. For details, including how to submit a nomination, click here.
📈 We're hiring! Our fundraising team is searching for a Senior Manager of Development Operations & Donor Engagement. Could this be you or someone you know? This person plays a central role in advancing Braver Angels’ fundraising efforts by managing technical donor systems, supporting major gift strategy, and executing annual fundraising initiatives. This role combines relationship-building, data-informed fundraising, and operational leadership, ensuring that donor engagement is strategic, personalized, and well-coordinated across the organization. The deadline to apply is May 15. Visit our website for more information and job description and then apply through the portal on Idealist.org.
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Beyond contempt. Do you ever feel conflicted about doing the hard work of opening yourself up to hear different political viewpoints? Is it easier to be an activist than a bridge-builder? If so, you’re not alone. Read more here.
📖 Read The Arc of Outrage
BA in action. Read how BA helped the entire city of Wichita, KS decide on whether or not to approve a 1% sales tax. This wonderful real-world application of BA principles is a delight to read about. Attendees at the BA-hosted BA said it “raised the bar for civil discourse”.
📖 Read We were killing ourselves with logistics
BA in MN. Read about a fascinating BA-led conversation in the town of Ely, MN on whether the town is thriving or dying, and what common ground residents found.
📖 Read Braver Angels discussion was on: Is Ely is dying or thriving?
BA in WA. Read this interview with the red co-coordinator of the Spokane, WA BA chapter on why she first engaged with BA and what she’s hoping to accomplish.
📖 Read Braver Angels work to bridge Washington's Cascade divide, one discussion at a time
A new discipline. Read BA’s CEO’s thoughts on why, instead of exploring our differences with curiosity, we are often pulled into an outrage cycle, a system engineered to provoke us, and why, in such a world, choosing not to react is an act of self-mastery.
📖 Read Civic duty
Reconciliation. Listen to Wilk talk to Corey Nathan — entrepreneur, podcast host, and bridge-builder — about the forces that divide us and the choices that can bring us back together.
🎧 Listen Your Brain on Tribalism: Why It Derails Relationships & What You Can Do About It
A new civic path. Listen to Wilk talk to Rich Harwood about the yearning for something better he is seeing on the ground in communities across the country.
🎧 Listen America Has a Crisis of Belief - The Answer is a New Moral Vision
Conversations across differences. The Spark recently hosted a live taping at Penn State Harrisburg following a “Skills for Disagreeing Better” workshop facilitated by BA. Listen to it here.
🎧 Listen The Spark Features Braver Angels Workshop on Civil Discourse at Penn State Harrisburg
An illuminating talk. Two BA members, a liberal and a conservative, talk about what those terms mean to them…without using expletives.
🎥Watch Braver Angels Katherine Cadwell and Steve Saltwick
Not a member? Join today!
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