CIVIC RENEWAL & DEMOCRACY
10 Thoughts on CREATING Hope
3 days in Kenosha for the Braver Angels Convention Inspired These 10 Insights
“Oh, thank goodness. It’s ‘CREATE HOPE,’ not ‘BRING HOPE,’” I sighed with relief as the shuttle pulled into Carthage College last Thursday. I’d brought clothes to layer in case the breeze off Lake Michigan turned chilly, a poster for the exhibit hall to share the mission of Stories Change Power, and a notebook to fill with ideas, but seemed to have packed skepticism instead of hope when it came to my mindset.
Despite the fact Braver Angels’ very mission is to depolarize America, I felt apprehensive knowing I’d watch the presidential debate that night alongside “reds” and “blues.” You read that correctly:
I watched the Biden-Trump debate last week with hundreds of people across the political spectrum in the same room.
Not only did I live to tell about it, I lived to draw — and create — hope from nearly three days among people who share a desire to create a better alternative to what’s happening in politics today, even as we do not share the same political views.
