Professor John Sibley Butler (University of Texas in Austin), described as America's leading black business historian, is "straight outta the black bourgeoisie." Yes African-American history is riddled with tragedy and oppression. But this Black History Month, and every other month for that matter, Butler wishes to remind people of the long history of black self-sufficiency, community building, and prosperity in the face of oppression that he believes any accounting of black history is woefully ...
Feb 25, 2022•51 min•Ep. 143
Braver Angels has never been shy about engaging our nation's most sensitive political issues. Last year, we held a public debate on the 2020 election exploring themes of voter fraud, voter suppression, and disagreements about the outcome. Recently, we hosted a podcast with a guest who claimed that the January 6th riots were incited by liberal activists working in collusion with the FBI. After initially taking down the podcast for violating its terms on misinformation, YouTube reinstated the epis...
Feb 18, 2022•51 min•Ep. 142
Plagued by pandemics of fear and distrust, many of us have come to hold some scary ideas about different people and places across our country. But what’s the reality? Daniel Seddiqui has seen more of America than almost anyone. After working 50 jobs in 50 states in 50 weeks in 2009—from coal miner in West Virginia to bartender in Louisiana—he has since completed three more treks across the country in an attempt to better understand our nation and its people, stitching our country together in his...
Feb 04, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 141
Esther Cash is a liberal college student at Biola, a conservative Christian university in California. As a program associate for Braver Angels, she helps coordinate our debates program in communities and colleges across the country. Today, she joins the podcast to discuss her own political evolution, the nature of polarization on college campuses, and how young people can lead the generational effort to rehabilitate our political conversation at a time of rancor, uncertainty, and alienation. Twi...
Jan 28, 2022•51 min•Ep. 140
Peter Wood is an anthropologist and president of the National Association of Scholars. He believes—like many Americans on the right—that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and the January 6th riots were incited by the left in collusion with the FBI. He's also the author of a new book called Wrath: America Enraged , which wrestles with our politics of anger and counsels conservatives on how to respond to perceived aggression. Where does America go from here? In this episode, Peter joi...
Jan 20, 2022•59 min•Ep. 139
In the first Braver Angels Podcast episode of the new year, John Wood, Jr. and Ciaran O'Connor share a deep and heartfelt conversation about the state of American politics on the one-year anniversary of January 6th, 2021. Happy 2022! Ready to become a Braver Angels member and build a house united together? Join us: https://braverangels.org/get-involved/#become-member Twitter: @braverangels , @ciaranjoconnor , @JohnRWoodJr...
Jan 07, 2022•56 min•Ep. 138
In the 1950's and 60's the reverend Martin Luther King Jr. inspired a nation with a message of hope, aimed against the forces of racism, inspired by the philosophy of nonviolence and what he believed to be the moral and spiritual teachings of the gospel. Is that philosophy relevant to today's fights against injustice and our struggle against polarization? Reverend Adam Taylor of Sojourners (author of the book A More Perfect Union: A New Vision for Building the Beloved Community ) has dedicated h...
Dec 17, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 137
On the weekend of December 9, 2016, a small group of citizens—half Donald Trump voters, half Hillary Clinton voters—gathered in South Lebanon, Ohio, for an experiment. Could we talk with each other rather than at each other? Five years later, the co-founders of Braver Angels (David Blankenhorn, Bill Doherty, and David Lapp) reflect on that inaugural event and how it led to the birth of Braver Angels as we now know it. Learn more and support our mission: braverangels.org/support-us Twitter: @brav...
Dec 10, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 136
In a special all-women roundtable edition of our podcast, two Red and two Blue Braver Angels leaders get passionate, personal, and curious about what led them to hold opposing views on one of the toughest political dilemmas in America: abortion. How do voices on the left and right strengthen or weaken our country’s grasp of what’s at stake? And how do these women respond to the heartfelt, challenging questions they ask each other across the divide about legality, morality, freedom, and even murd...
Nov 19, 2021•1 hr•Ep. 135
What are the historical roots of political polarization in America? Why do Americans hold such dissonant perspectives on the meaning of our core ideals? How might we understand our history to create a more perfect future union? Ciaran O'Connor hosts Seth David Radwell, author of American Schism, for a wide-ranging conversation on the political, cultural, and epistemological dimensions of our political divide from the Enlightenment to the present moment. Check out American Schism on Radwell’s web...
Nov 12, 2021•57 min•Ep. 134
Toxic levels of ungrace are tearing us apart. That's the diagnosis from Kirsten Powers, senior political analyst at CNN and former political analyst at Fox News. But is grace really possible across divides this huge and seemingly threatening? In a candid interview with host Mónica Guzmán, Kirsten draws on her Catholic faith, her years of cross-partisan debates in the spotlight, her experience with anger and contempt after the 2016 election to unpack a virtue she argues is deeply misunderstood an...
Oct 29, 2021•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 133
Andrew Yang isn't done challenging the way Americans look at politics. The former presidential candidate and entrepreneur is launching the Forward Party: a third-party effort to depolarize our politics through election reform. Can it work? And what does Yang have to say about the sensitive issues of race that divide Americans? Silas Kulkarni and John Wood, Jr. ask probing questions from a red and blue perspective in this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast, diving into electoral reform tactics,...
Oct 22, 2021•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 132
Ciaran O'Connor convenes Hawk Newsome, co-founder of Black Lives Matter of Greater New York; David Iwinski, a Trump supporter who helps lead Braver Angels Debates; and Dr. Tess Russell, an anesthesiologist and intensive care specialist at Columbia New York Presbyterian Hospital for a raw and wide-ranging discussion on trust, science, and the COVID vaccine. Twitter: @braverangels , @ciaranjoconnor , @IamHawkNewsome , @davidiwinski , @CortessaRussell...
Oct 15, 2021•58 min•Ep. 131
Barbara Thomas is a lifelong liberal. Rick Hotchner is a committed conservative. As a couple, they are one of a dwindling number of politically mixed marriages between Democrats and Republicans in America. They made a life-changing decision last summer to leave a diplomatic post abroad to depolarize America—one divided relationship at a time. How do they stand each other when they can’t stand each other’s politics? What tips and tricks have they learned to always disagree but rarely argue? And w...
Oct 01, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 130
Social media has become a prism that distorts our identities, empowers status-seeking extremists, and renders moderates all but invisible. In his new book, Breaking the Social Media Prism, Duke professor Christopher Bail challenges common myths about echo chambers, foreign misinformation campaigns, and radicalizing algorithms, revealing that the solution to political tribalism lies deep inside ourselves. In this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast, Bail joins Ciaran O'Connor for a wide-ranging ...
Sep 24, 2021•49 min•Ep. 129
Ready to take on the COVID-19 divide? In this special roundtable edition of our podcast, two red and two blue Braver Angels leaders tackle big questions about vaccines and vaccine mandates. How do the left and right help and hurt America’s struggle against the pandemic? Are President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandates tough love or bad medicine? Featuring John Wood, Jr. (national ambassador), Alma Cook (music ambassador), Ciaran O’Connor (CMO), and Mónica Guzmán (director of digital and storytelling)....
Sep 17, 2021•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 128
Joy Mayer just launched a bold effort to help conservatives trust journalists. What will it take for America's local journalists to tell stories responsibly—not just for liberals, whose views most journalists identify with, but also for conservatives, whose views are easier for most journalists to misunderstand, neglect, or dismiss? Joy, director of the Trusting News Project, joins host and fellow journalist Mónica Guzmán to break open a fraught conversation that, for the most part, the journali...
Sep 03, 2021•56 min•Ep. 127
After enduring significant childhood trauma, Morgan Brown spent much of his adult life homeless. Now an advocate for housing and mental health, Morgan shares his perspectives on trust, dignity, and how "going the extra gracious mile and beyond" can make all the difference—both on the streets and in politics. Morgan resides in Montpelier, Vermont, where he previously served on the Montpelier Homelessness Task Force. We first met Morgan through The Working People's Project at Braver Angels. Learn ...
Aug 27, 2021•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 126
Is it worth striking up a conversation with the stranger in the checkout line? What’s on the other side of that silence, and how do we bridge it? Journalist Joe Keohane is out with a new book, The Power of Strangers: The Benefits of Connecting in a Suspicious World, which explores the lost art of connecting with unfamiliar people. Ciaran O'Connor talks with Joe about why and how we should talk to strangers—starting with your local barista—and what these experiences can do to improve our daily li...
Aug 20, 2021•52 min•Ep. 125
Ever wonder just how expansive the American national service system is and how those involved in it see their work? Luke Nathan Phillips interviews AmeriCorps' chief of external affairs, Sri Preston Kulkarni, about the work and mission of the organization. They discuss how AmeriCorps aims to promote service and national unity in troubling times, also exploring the history of national service programs in bringing the best out of Americans. Learn more about AmeriCorps: www.americorps.gov On August...
Aug 13, 2021•58 min
Extra! Extra! In this special roundtable edition of our podcast, two red and two blue Braver Angels leaders square off about the media. Where do the left and right step up or fall short in their approach to the Fourth Estate? Is all the partisan messaging out of line, or do the ends justify the memes? Featuring John Wood, Jr. (national ambassador), April Lawson (director of debates), Ciaran O’Connor (CMO), and Mónica Guzmán (director of digital and storytelling). Also in this episode: Ciaran get...
Aug 06, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 123
Sheba Williams is the founder of Nolef Turns and an advocate with deeply personal experience surviving life after incarceration. In this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast, Sheba chats with John Wood, Jr. and Silas Kulkarni about her recent appearance in the Braver Angels Coliseum Debate on Voting Rights and the efforts underway to bring together a cross-partisan, cross-cultural coalition to reintegrate the formerly incarcerated into society. Learn more about Nolef Turns on the group’s website...
Jul 30, 2021•57 min•Ep. 122
Later this month, thousands of Americans—including several Braver Angels—will gather near Mount Rushmore for FreedomFest, a three-day conference dedicated to furthering libertarianism in America. In this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast, Ciaran O'Connor sits down with Valerie Durham, the executive director of FreedomFest, for a wide-ranging conversation on the meaning of liberty, the influence of Donald Trump on the conservative movement, and how libertarians could help bring Americans toget...
Jul 19, 2021•55 min•Ep. 121
Boom! In this special roundtable edition of our podcast, two red and two blue Braver Angels leaders share their takes on critical race theory and the recent out-of-this-world UFO stories fascinating both right and left. Also in this episode: some real talk about the hard work of building a house united—plus some stories about how thrilling (or terrifying!) everyone found Fourth of July fireworks as kids. Featuring John Wood, Jr. (national ambassador), April Lawson (director of debates), Ciaran O...
Jul 02, 2021•54 min•Ep. 120
In an era in which politics have become a religion, what role do religious people have to play? And how can people look to their faith as an inspiration for coming together rather than breaking apart? Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam joins the Braver Angels Podcast to discuss the role of faith in the public square and how Christians can become a force for reconciliation in our politics. Bill's new book on this topic, Faithful Presence , can be found on Amazon or wherever books are sold. Twi...
Jun 25, 2021•41 min•Ep. 119
Sho Baraka is a hip-hop artist known for bringing a deep lyrical and philosophical treatment to Christian rap. But he's also a cultural commentator who takes a nuanced perspective on issues of race and politics—and has a front row seat for seeing these controversies play out in the church. Sho joins John Wood, Jr. to talk music, the culture of hip-hop, the challenge of race relations, Kanye West, and more in this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast. Learn more about Sho’s music and book on his ...
Jun 18, 2021•59 min•Ep. 118
Author Jonathan Rauch is a long respected voice in American journalism on matters ranging from marriage equality to freedom of speech. In his upcoming book, The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth , Rauch explains the social infrastructure by which truth is protected, breaking down assaults on truth from the right and the left and exploring what we can do about it. April Lawson and John Wood, Jr. join Rauch for this episode of the Braver Angels Podcast, chatting about cancel culture, t...
Jun 10, 2021•59 min•Ep. 117
Not only does political polarization breed fear, anger, and mistrust—it also breeds a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. How can we take action? Not only to make our voices heard but to work together with our political opponents to improve our communities and perfect our union? Braver Angels alliances are where the meat of our work takes place—where ordinary reds and blues across the country come together to actually do the work of democracy, find common values, transcend our egos, and driv...
Jun 04, 2021•44 min•Ep. 116
Professor Steven Pinker is on a mission to spread the good news of human progress. He asserts that human life, for all its problems, has overwhelmingly improved in recent generations. But how is the progress of humanity threatened by our inability to appreciate it? And how is that progress threatened by our inability to communicate respectfully with one another? Professor Pinker ( Enlightenment Now , The Better Angels of Our Nature ) joins John Wood, Jr. to discuss polarization, cancel culture i...
May 26, 2021•59 min•Ep. 115
America is more than half a year removed from the 2020 election. Most Trump voters still suspect voter fraud determined the outcome. The vast majority of Biden voters think such ideas are off the wall. Many Americans, meanwhile, believe that media bias and the practices of Big Tech are the real corruptors of American elections. Can left, right and center reason together about the 2020 election? Can we come together to discover why we believe what we believe? Braver Angels national ambassador Joh...
May 20, 2021•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 114
