Spotlight: Braver Angels
The Center for Economic Opportunity and Belonging (The Center) is excited to continue this Spotlight series where we sit down with organizations to talk about their work and their belonging journey in Utah.
We recently sat down and spoke with Lori Cartwright, the Blue State Coordinator, and Jefferson Shupe, the Red Coordinator for Braver Angels, about building belonging in Utah and their work at Braver Angels.
What is the mission of Braver Angels?
Lori- Our motto is building a house united. And our mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.
Can you explain to us what your titles, the Blue and Red State Coordinators, mean?
Lori- Braver Angels tries to balance everything politically. For people who lean left, we describe them as Blue and for people who lean right, we describe them as Red. All our leadership positions are balanced politically, so that’s why there’s a Red and Blue state coordinator. As the Blue State Coordinator, I work with Jefferson, the Red State Coordinator to lead the Utah chapter on many different things.
Can you explain what Braver Angels does?
Jefferson- Braver Angels provides a structure and training to help people learn skills on how to listen and understand better. We seek out opportunities to heighten understanding and lower the temperature among disagreeing Utahns. We also help match up our group of volunteers for these opportunities. We are occasionally asked to come to moderate situations where people may be working together on a tough issue.
Lori- To add to what Jefferson said, we teach people these skills, but then also model how to use them in different ways. We also provide opportunities like national debates, the National Film Club, and the Utah Book Club. We're getting ready to launch a weekly lunch where we'll discuss issues that are specific to the state. These weekly lunches will be a space for people to have civil dialogue and practice their skills and feel heard. Practicing listening is a big part of what Braver Angels does and that's a big draw for people to the organization. A lot of people are trying to find a place where they can share their stories and feel like they're heard, but also where they can better understand other people's stories and how to form connections with them.
What does belonging mean to you?
Jefferson- When I was in junior high, belonging meant changing yourself to fit in. Changing yourself on the outside and even on the inside so you can fit in with the group. Over time, that has changed for me. I found that true belonging is being with a person or group and being open about your opinions, how you see the world, and your experiences. You may disagree with them, but you appreciate them being here. To me, that’s what true belonging feels like. I think this can be contagious as well. For example, if you feel accepted in this way, then you’re more likely to treat others in the same way.
I used to be a lot more polarized than I am now. I had a number of experiences where I just kind of failed, fell on my face, and realized that the other side wasn't brainwashed or bad. This got me curious. That's my background and what started my journey here at Braver Angels.
Lori- Belonging for me means connection and respect with other people and other groups, and even recognizing my connection and belonging to the planet. This means that I recognize that I have a place here on the planet but so do you.
I’ve gone through phases of belonging, not belonging, to belonging over the last few years. I went through this tough situation at work where I was targeted because of my political views and its effects bled into other aspects of my life. It was scary and hard, and I didn’t know how to handle it at all. I lived in this community for 19 years and I ended up moving because I felt like I didn’t belong there anymore.
You know we sorta expect these kinds of situations and experiences younger in life, not when we’re older. Everything changed for me. And Braver Angels has helped me find hope and has been my refuge since. It’s helped me heal but also helped me understand my role in creating division and how I can do better moving forward.
How does the work of braver angels help create belonging in Utah?
Lori- Braver Angels helps create belonging by giving us a space to practice listening which helps us understand each other’s stories. We believe that you come as you are, you don’t need to change in any way. We’re going to listen to you and respect you even if we don’t agree on everything. There’s a lot of division at the moment and we are working to help people find common ground through our work. We all need to start recognizing people’s humanity and that each of us has lives and stories. We are all worthy of belonging. The Braver Angels Way talks about how we interact with each other. We believe that everyone is worth talking to.
“We all need to start recognizing people’s humanity and that each of us has lives and stories. We are all worthy of belonging. The Braver Angels Way talks about how we interact with each other. We believe that everyone is worth talking to.”
How can people get involved? Jefferson, can tell us about your book as well?
Lori- People can learn more at braverangels.org or email Jefferson (jshupe@braverangels.org) and me (lcartwright@braverangels.org). People can also sign up to become a member on our website with a small donation. We host a lot of events and skills trainings which you can learn about on our website. You can also find us on Facebook and Instagram @braverangelsutah.
The Braver Angels Convention is also coming up. It’s from June 27th- 29th in Wisconsin. The theme of the convention is hope and we’ll be voting on one key issue for Braver Angels to focus on for the upcoming year.
Jefferson- My book is called The Bathwater Brigade. It’s a YA novel that reflects some of my own journey. The story is about a student-run college club that seeks to find all the perspectives they can on an issue during a difficult time in their town. They learn a lot along the way.