This week on Borderless, join our host Vale Sloane as he sits down with Justine Lee of Living Room Conversations and Make America Dinner Again. Through these organizations, her mission

As the Omicron variant spreads across the globe, we are reminded again that a pandemic is a disease of populations, not of individuals, and population-level problems require collective solutions. This

On December 31st, as I uncorked champagne with my family, my stomach suddenly clutched with dread. For the first time, I feared the turning of the new year. Other new

Chris Collins had only been attending Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco for a few months when, after the 2016 presidential election, he asked the congregation if anyone would be

Brialle Ringer is a racial equity partner of Living Room Conversations, an organization that facilitates community conversations to help people bridge their differences and understand each other. She has seen the power

Like many progressives, I cringe when I hear the word “unity.” In his Inaugural Address, President Joe Biden told Americans: “This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and

Now is our best chance to scale up the efforts of organizations working to bridge divides because so many people are feeling the pain of bad outcomes. The insurrection on

It has become normal to disrespect and even dismiss the humanity of people we don’t agree with. This is dangerous and at odds with our ideals. I first became involved in

Our limited exposure to each other this Thanksgiving makes it easier to practice the skills that can repair the fractures between us. Shannon Mannon Opinion contributor With the rifts exposed

Online and offline platforms are helping strangers form social connections, which are crucial for our health, especially in a pandemic. A retired teacher, a Midwestern minister and a mother of

Though election news will dominate the headlines all summer, the global pandemic has thrown into question everything from how the candidates will campaign to whether there will be live conventions

As the COVID-19 outbreak continues to upend American life, social lives are vanishing. Coffee shop dates have been traded for quarantines, face-to-face meetings exchanged for physical distance. Real conversations and

The physical distancing necessary to slow down the spread of the coronavirus puts us at higher risk for another serious health concern: social isolation. Long before the coronavirus crisis, America had

Editor’s Note: See John Gable’s take on this event here. Over the past decade I’ve been a regular attendee at the Wisdom 2.0 Conference in San Francisco. It’s an annual gathering

The internet can be used to help reverse political and social divisions instead of pulling Americans farther apart. “They voted for Trump, so obviously we can’t talk about anything.” “There’s

Since the 1980s, seven of my high school classmates get together annually to watch the Super Bowl, play poker, and drink beer. We spend even more time talking these days,

As we move full speed into the election of 2020, we can feel the pull toward division, domination and revenge in our politics. We write this as two veterans of

But facts alone won’t do it, researchers say. Here’s something fascinating about stories that recount a major change of heart. Like the one of C.P. Ellis, a White member of

A recent article, Can Marriage Counseling Save America by Andrew Ferguson, is a marvelous article about Better Angels, an organization that offers people facilitated opportunities to listen to each other across

Mediation expert Mary Gaylord offers 3 tips to keep everyone seated until dessert With election day inching closer, politics will undoubtedly be a dish served hot during Thanksgiving dinner. For

WITH TWITTER SCREEDS AND ONLINE SPATS, IT’S GETTING HARDER TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER. LIVING ROOM CONVERSATIONS HAS A WAY TO GET US LISTENING AND LEARNING AGAIN. A liberal and

Joan Blades references ‘The 3.5%’ Rule’ at the end of our conversation.  Political scientist Erika Chenoweth at Harvard found that just this sliver of the population, if effectively mobilized through non-violent

“If you voted for Trump, unfollow me.” Most of us are familiar with this sentiment. It is common for people to not want to be associated with those whose values

Blades is co-founder of Living Room Conversations, which organizes gatherings designed to increase understanding and reveal common ground. Thought experiment: What if all the leaders in Washington decided tomorrow that climate

The first week of June, David Jay of the Center for Humane Technology and I co-hosted a Living Room Conversation about how technology is impacting our relationships, a conversation titled Digital Dialogue.  Conversation participants were

In polarizing political times, it’s far too easy to self-segregate based on political beliefs. The nonprofit Living Room Conversations encourages neighbors to open up the lines of communication. Joan Blades

SALT LAKE CITY — We are constantly surrounded by online news. Tweets, posts, videos and alerts crowd our phone screen every moment of our waking (and sleeping) lives. The pervasive

(RNS) — I’m a secular person. As a co-founder of MoveOn, the political organizing group, I’ve talked for years about how most people want to do good and aim to

After the article, you can explore our Living Room Conversations topic guide about Nuclear Weapons here. You may have missed the news last month, buried in the Trump administration’s budget

Picture this: People are gathered around in the living room talking about politics. Or religion. You know, the big stuff that it seems like nobody agrees on. The people in

If you knew Joan Blades, committed progressive, passionate climate change advocate, Berkeley, Calif., resident, you might think she would be feeling a little bit heartened by the results of this

As we enter the last few days of the 2018 midterm elections, I am again wondering when will we, the American citizens, say “ENOUGH.” I say ENOUGH of: Manufactured outrage

It is the last week before the election and the rhetoric has rarely been more rancorous. The murders in Pennsylvania and Kentucky and the targeted mail bombs have all of

A new program creates friendships—and hope for a divided America. Who hasn’t been affected by the divisive nature of our political discourse these days? Friends, neighbors, and family of different

The Better Arguments Project is a new national civic initiative created to help bridge ideological divides – not by papering over those divides but by teaching Americans how to have

President Donald Trump smiles as he walks on South Lawn of the White House on Feb. 2, 2018.Yuri Gripas / Reuters file Americans used to believe that the presidency was a

Mismatch.org is part of Joan Blades’ plan to unite the world. Blades is a delightful mismatch of a person herself. She is a liberal and lifelong resident of Berkeley, California,

The nation is deeply at odds over politics but one woman believes simple conversations can lessen the gap. Talk to nearly any academic or pollster about the political divide between

Call it a domestic peace initiative: Stop judging people unkindly, start making real connections based on shared values. And we do have some. (Photo: Michael Mulvey, for USA TODAY) Countless

by Kelsey Dalles, reprinted from desert news MILLCREEK — Moments before an interfaith gathering between Mormons and Muslims was slated to begin on the evening of June 4, volunteers were still

by Debilyn Molineaux and Joan Blades, reprinted from The Fresno Bee. It’s like we live in “Groundhog Day.” Following this latest series of public shootings in San Francisco and Virginia, pundits will

by Sally Stephens, reposted from The SF Examiner. We are a deeply divided country. And yet, to solve the serious problems we face, we have to find some way to work

by Terri McLaughlin. reposted from The Union. With the explicit goal of improving the level of social discourse over public policy issues, Joan Blades of Berkeley, a political activist and former

So this driver is stopped at an intersection. A pedestrian is dawdling in the crosswalk. Driver leans out the window and yells, “Get out of the street, you damned liberal!”

Talk about it: Movement works to bridge political divisions through dialogue BY KARINA IOFEE, reposted from East Bay Times.   BERKELEY — What do you get when you put a libertarian

As the cofounder of Moveon.org, I’m steeped in progressive culture. I often hear the argument that we must overwhelm conservatives with greater numbers. But I ask my progressive friends to consider

By Daphne White. Reprinted from Berkeleyside. UC Berkeley Sociologist Arlie Hochschild in her living room. Photo: Daphne White Berkeley sociologist Arlie Hochschild — author of the best-selling book Strangers in their Own

By Robin Stern. Reprinted from The Hill. © Getty Images In the wake of the presidential election, feelings are running high in America, with half of the electorate rejoicing and the

By Suzanne Potter. Reprinted from Public News Service. Experts have tips on how to politely discuss politics, if you must, with your relatives and coworkers during the holidays. (Dodgerton Skillhause/Morguefile) SANTA

By Marjorie Cortez. Reprinted from KSL. SALT LAKE CITY — In what was part group therapy and part community conversation, participants in the Utah Citizen Summit spent a full day talking and

By Mary Gray-Reeves. Reprinted from Episcopal News Service. We are the Solution: Election Day and Reconciliation Dear Friends, Besides our diocesan convention which begins tomorrow, our nation is very much

By Chuck Collins. Reprinted from CommonDreams. The strength of our civic life depends on what we do outside elections. ‘Especially after the deeply toxic experience of 2016,’ writes Collins, ‘we all need

With all the divisive rhetoric, sensationalist journalism, and inflamed passions during this election cycle, schools can be one of our saving graces. But only if teachers aren’t terrified about discussing

by Liz Hume. Reprinted from The Hill. As we inch closer to the U.S. presidential election, America has endured another week in which the politics of hate and fear have taken

By Jackie Zubrycki. Reprinted from Education Week. It’s often tough for teachers to figure out how to talk about political issues or current events in class. During a divisive election year,

By Lauren Schiller. Reprinted from Inflection Point. Liberal activist Joan Blades co-founded MoveOn.org, Moms Rising.org and Living Room Conversations.org, to provide a guide for meaningful conversations between people with different views. Now,

Could polarization be a prelude to a renewal of ‘From many, one?’ You bet it could. America’s polarity is achieving remarkable intensity, noted in many news stories, now vividly being

The future of America’s nuclear arsenal goes beyond presidential politics. It’s a conversation that all Americans need to be a part of. The generation that first built and deployed nuclear

If you needed more proof that the country is painfully divided over politics, picture this. A former divorce mediator, trained in the art of keeping husbands and wives from throttling

A video clip of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush answering questions about immigration at a 1980 debate is making the social media rounds, drawing attention not just for what would be

Several years ago my good friend Joan Blades co-founded a national nonprofit group called Living Room Conversations, or LRC, with the explicit goal of improving the level and quality of social discourse around

At CivilPolitics, one of our service offerings is to help groups that are doing work connecting individuals who may disagree about political and moral issues.  These disagreements do not necessarily

There is gridlock in Congress. A Republican House can veto any progressive idea advanced by President Obama. The Democratic Senate and the presidential veto can shut down any conservative proposal

The headlines this week will be dominated by talk of partisan gridlock in Washington DC—Americans’ supposed representatives once again reflexively butting heads over ideology in lieu of actual problem solving.

I was raised in a Republican household and my dad was a paid speaker at Republican Conferences and events. I grew up in the 60s and have vivid memories of

In 1998, Joan Blades and Wes Boyd, co-founders of Berkeley Systems, a software company, drafted a one-sentence petition they hoped would end the public blood-letting and disruption of government that

It was only a living room conversation.  But: this living room conversation, earlier in the month, was between two clashing political titans: the co-founder of MoveOn.org, Joan Blades, and the co-founder of

It was a mind-blowing political tableau: a co-founder of liberal bulwark MoveOn sitting in her Berkeley living room, laughing, sharing homemade blueberry scones and occasionally agreeing with a national Tea Party figure.

Joan Blades, founder of MomsRising.org, and guest speaker Jackie Salit, author of Independents Rising, hosted an event in San Francisco on Saturday to discuss a new political culture in America; one focused on

I recently invited people to share blog posts explaining How You Will Change the World in 2012 for the new Social Good Blog Series I launched earlier this month. Changing the World