Bridging Political Divides Through Personal Stories in Rhode Island

Rebuilding Trust Across Divides

• 💡 A program in Rhode Island, part of the "America at a Crossroads" series, focuses on rebuilding trust within communities by connecting people through personal stories.
• 🎯 The initiative aims to bridge political and social divides by fostering relationships and empathy among individuals with different backgrounds and perspectives.

Diverse Participants and Their Work

• 🏢 Carl Waddenston, CEO of Vibeco, focuses on manufacturing and economic growth in southern Rhode Island, emphasizing a "rising tide" approach to business.
• 🏘️ Angie Coma works in Providence on public health through affordable housing, healthy food, and education, serving on the board of the West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation.
• 🤝 Despite working in different sectors and parts of the state, both Carl and Angie believe in the necessity of connecting with those who are different to address critical challenges.

Civity's Trust-Building Workshop

• 💬 The program utilizes a trust-building workshop run by a national group called Civity, which uses storytelling to connect people.
• 🤝 Civity's approach, described as creating a "culture of deliberately engaging in relationships of respect and empathy with others who are different," has shown success in reducing animosity and increasing support for bipartisanship.
• 🗣️ Participants engage in intentional introductions and share personal stories, moving beyond titles like "Republican" or "Democrat" to find common ground.

Sharing Visible and Invisible Identities

• 🎭 Participants share aspects of their visible identity (e.g., confident, talkative) and invisible identities (e.g., struggling with loss, grief, stubbornness).
• 💖 The core aim is not to resolve differences on tough issues but to create a space for building trust and understanding before tackling complex problems.

Cultivating Courageous Conversations

• 🌱 Carl and Angie see the potential for their collaboration as a model for the state and nation, emphasizing the importance of planting seeds for people willing to engage in courageous and vulnerable conversations.
• 🌍 While acknowledging the difficulty of measuring relationship changes and the challenges posed by widespread division and fear, the organization emphasizes working locally to foster positive change within communities.