Braver Angels Aim Is to Depolarize America

Leonardtown Rotary to Host May 16 Workshop

The Leonardtown Rotary Club is pleased to host Braver Angels, a nonprofit organization focused on training people to develop the tools needed to respectfully embrace disagreements and develop strong civic partnerships. A workshop will be held from 2 to 3:30pm Saturday, May 16, at the Leonardtown Library.

It is open to all community members regardless of political affiliation.

As part of Rotary International, the Leonardtown Rotary has been committed for 40 years to promoting goodwill and peace through the fellowship of its members, all of whom are dedicated to serving the county and its residents.

To further that commitment, the club will host Braver Angels, a group focused on uniting red- and blue-leaning Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America, for a community wide workshop to help individuals become more aware of their own inner polarizer.

The workshop will help individuals learn to be critical without stereotyping or showing contempt and build skills to respond constructively when conversations turn toward ridicule or dismissiveness.

“Civil discourse requires mutual respect. This workshop address how we may inadvertently be complicit in or possibly even encourage, polarization,” said Melissa Rodriguez, president of Leonardtown Rotary. “One of the core principles of Rotary is to value diverse opinions and build camaraderie–doing that requires all of us to listen more and communicate better, even when we disagree.”