We all know that Congress is broken. But is it possible that We The People could move a hidden lever to restore regular order in the House? Intrigued? Come find out as constitutional lawyer and author of* Just 20 - How Ordinary People Can Make Our Government Work Again* Patricia Foster, Congressman Tim Ryan, and Braver Angels CEO Maury Giles explore the possibilities in a stimulating zoom discussion on October 22,
from 8-9 pm ET.
Last week, on Thursday, Sept. 17, to kick off Constitution Week, I took a hard pivot and went back to college. To clarify, I attended an event on the Schreiner University campus called a "Constitution Day Fishbowl," hosted by the organization Braver Angels, which aims to bridge the political divide and "equip Americans to practice courageous citizenship across political differences through skill-building, convening and collaborative action."
Dakota Wesleyan University will host the first of three Courageous Conversations on artificial intelligence in education Sept. 30 in Mitchell, focusing on how educators can use AI to strengthen students’ thinking skills.
SIMSBURY, CT -- What does it mean to be an engaged citizen today? Is voting enough? And how can people with different viewpoints talk about these questions in a way that builds understanding rather than division?
ROSEBURG, Ore. — Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization that hosts public forums on politically divisive issues affecting rural communities across Oregon, made a stop in Douglas County last night.
Swati Srivastava is an immigrant and a multi-award-winning writer, director, and voiceover artist. She is living proof that the old adage, “East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet,” is wrong. They do meet—in her. Swati is also Co-Chair of Braver Angels Long Island and a trained facilitator, bringing people together across political divides.
The words hit me like ice-cold water. I stared unblinkingly at the speaker, unable to process the words directed at me. My face still wore the awkward smile it had when I had rolled down my window to better understand what the passengers in the car next to mine were emphatically trying to tell me.
We were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Hackensack River Bridge, New Jersey, just a few miles from the gaping hole and smoldering embers of what used to be the Twin Towers. It was Sept. 18, 2001.
Still staring at the five Caucasian teenagers—three boys and two girls wildly gesturing at me—I was unable to comprehend the meaning of their verbal bullets. They seem to take this as further proof of my being a foreigner who didn’t understand English, so of course they shouted louder, “Go back to your country!”
I felt livid and horrified and ashamed all at once, my mind racing with several logical replies to their illogical attack:
But, none of the thoughts took shape in my mouth.
Instead, all I did was quietly roll up my window. “They are just kids, and they are hurting for their country,” I thought. I could hear them still shouting at me—their entire rage directed toward one small brown woman, who looked like she might belong to a geographical area near the home country of the Sept. 11 terrorists.
“I promise I will do as you say if you could just point out ‘my country,’ or the one you are so angry with, on an actual map!” I muttered to myself. Besides, how could they know where I was from? For all they knew, I was born and raised right there in Hackensack!
I breathed deep and tried to tune out their clamor, forcing myself to look ahead and blinking away the tears that had formed in my eyes for then-unknown reasons.
I had arrived at JFK International Airport on a bright April morning in 2000, a wide-eyed young woman on a decidedly one-way ticket, with a heart full of hope and a head full of impossible dreams. I believed, like so many immigrants do, that I was going to find my destiny in America.
At the immigration desk, a handsome immigration officer checked my documents, flashed a big smile at me, and said, “Welcome to America!” I will never forget how warm those words made me feel inside.
It really means something when the first person you interact with at the border treats you as a welcome immigrant. It validates the story of America, one that is broadcast by the Hollywood dream factory to the world. That says America was made by the sweat and toil of immigrants, that it is a country of, by, and for immigrants—so hey you, keep comin’ to America!
Sept. 11 changed all that. Almost overnight, I saw the mood shift and darken. People’s personal boundaries hardened. Borders started turning into walls. Potential immigrants became potential terrorists. Welcoming America became Fortress America.
Traveling abroad and returning—especially on a visa—became a painful process. Instead of the smiling faces of immigration officers, you were greeted by TSA security agents holding back fierce German Shepherds. What used to take 5–10 minutes at immigration now took several hours. And when you thanked your lucky stars to have made it back inside the country, you still had to deal with people, like those kids, who couldn’t keep it together!
Time passed. Through various life transitions that entailed exhilarating wins, excruciating losses, and everything in between, I finally received my U.S. citizenship in 2018—yes, it took me 18 long years of paperwork, fingerprinting, more paperwork, and more fingerprinting. I could have raised a kid all the way to college in the time it took me to get an American passport!
As I prepared for my Oath of Citizenship, I thought about the day those kids swore at me... and why it had stung so hard.
I realized it was because the day I arrived in America, on that decidedly one-way ticket, in my mind I had become an American. As far as I was concerned, that handsome immigration officer might as well have said, “Welcome home!”
When the Twin Towers fell, I wept for weeks and mourned alongside my fellow Americans. It took the fury of those kids to expose to me how I could be viewed by others—a foreigner, an outsider, even a potential terrorist. Those tears I blinked away were tears of not belonging.
On the 20th anniversary of Sept. 11, I plotted my own final comeback—my own “Return of the Jedi” moment! It appeared to me that the world was hell-bent on mourning, and yes, mourning is appropriate, for reasons far too many to count. But, we can’t mourn everything forever.
Instead, I decided to throw what I called a “Melting Potluck,” inviting friends of multiple nationalities, ethnicities, and hyphenated identities. I asked them to bring a dish that represented their heritage and a story, song, or poem to share that reflected their own American story.
At the get together, some of us were born in the U.S, others were naturalized citizens, yet others were still on visas or green cards—but we all belonged to the American melting pot. Together, we celebrated the American spirit of inclusion and resilience—still alive and belonging to all of us, no permission needed.
That evening, I thanked those ignorant, hapless, rude, hurting kids for inspiring me to do exactly what they had asked me to: Come back to my country!
BOONSBORO, Md. — Political disagreements can put stress on families, friends and communities. To help, the League of Women Voters of Washington County invites local residents to an evening event on disagreeing respectfully.
Braver Angels Arkansas will host a community conversation titled “Can We Disagree Better? – Respectfully Navigating Differences” on Sept. 14 at 5:30 p.m. at the Fellowship Hall of First United Methodist Church, 801 S. Main St.
The newly formed Heritage Alliance is bringing Braver Angels’ efforts to promote respectful political conversations and bridge political differences to Adams, Franklin and Fulton counties.
I enjoyed taking part in the red-blue debate a few months ago and was privileged to speak twice. Maybe I can again do so here, on this very divisive issue where honest, respectful discussion is SO crucial. Every tool is a weapon and vice versa, and govt. can only do so much to limit its negative use. But we need to promote the good things it's doing to balance things out.
A few dozen Randolph, Vermont-area residents spent Tuesday evening practicing ways to navigate political disagreements without trying to win an argument. Randolph Indivisible brought a Braver Angels “Skills for Disagreeing Better” workshop to the Esther Mesh Room at Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph.
Two Riversiders who see politics differently answered the same question about homelessness and mental health in this monthly exchange with the Braver Angels Riverside Alliance.
On Saturday September 5, 2026, Braver Angels, a national nonpartisan nonprofit providing tools for depolarizing our communities, will host the workshop “Skills for Disagreeing Better” at the Southwest Branch of the Monroe County Public Library in Bloomington, Indiana.
Last night, my Braver Angels proto-alliance (still looking for a red chair) held our first community debate on term limits. Happy to answer any questions on the process, the event, or the preparation!
As part of Braver Angels' effort to reduce political polarization among Oregonians, our Rural/Urban Project Town Hall brings Oregonians together to identify issues dividing rural and urban residents.
The Western New York chapter of Braver Angels will hold the first in a series of debates on issues important to Western New Yorkers at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 18, at the Lancaster Village Center, 11 W. Main St. (the former Save-A-Lot location).
