Better Angels

A 100% volunteer lead, grassroots movement uniting red and blue Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America.

The Problem

The United States is badly divided — between Republican and Democrat, red and blue, North and South, coast and heartland. The last presidential election only made it more obvious that we are becoming Two Americas, each angry with the other, and neither trusting the other’s basic humanity and good intentions. Today, Americans increasingly view their political opponents not only as misguided, but also as bad people whose ways of thinking are both dangerous and incomprehensible. This degree of civic rancor imperils our democracy, with the threat of chaos and violence seeming ever more real.

The Solution

Better Angels is a national citizens' movement that aims to reduce political polarization in the United States. The organization’s workshops bring liberals and conservatives together in equal numbers to understand each other beyond stereotypes, teaching practical skills for communicating across political differences, and building the relationships needed to find common ground, whether with fellow citizens or family members. Inspired by Abraham Lincoln’s Civil War-era call to unity, the organization seeks to build a grassroots movement of local "red-blue alliances" that work together to continue the trust-building and mutual understanding begun in the workshops and spread the Better Angels message: “We all need to be touched by something ‘better’ within us and within the institutions that we build together.”

Better Angels started in late 2016 with one bus, going door-to-door to gather Americans with opposing views to find common ground. Since then, we have reached the entire country from coast to coast and built a successful program of workshops, debates, and skills training to combat polarization on the grassroots level. We have been asked by community leaders, Fortune 500 companies, and universities and beyond to demonstrate the “Better Angels Way”.

Stage of Development

  • Early Stage
  • Established Prototype
  • Scaling
  • Other

Organization to Receive Funds

Better Angels

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