"The beating heart of the movement to bridge divides in America." Working to turn down the heat and find a way forward together. #ListenFirst @ListenFirstProj
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Articles by Pearce Godwin
Connecting on campus
U.S. universities are the ideal place to teach Americans how to cooperate In April, Harvard released two long-awaited taskforce reports on antisemitism and anti-Muslim bias, drawn from more than 50 listening sessions and hundreds of student accounts. In some 500 pages, the reports detail the ways identity-based tensions have fractured life on campus, including the hostility and social exclusion facing Jewish students and the stereotyping and name-calling facing Muslim students.
Understanding the other
Persistent misperceptions are what keep Americans divided. It’s time we get to know one another “Civility is not a tactic or a sentiment; it is the determined choice of trust over cynicism, of community over chaos.” It’s been 24 years since President George W. Bush spoke those words in his first inaugural address, and, over that time, America’s crisis of distrust and dehumanization has only intensified.
Profiles in Pluralism
Americans who are keeping this country united
You Need Conservatives. Here’s How to Engage Them in Your Mission
I’m a conservative who worked for Republicans on Capitol Hill and for Republican campaigns before joining the social sector, which makes me something of an outlier. Americans holding conservative values and perspectives tend to be underrepresented in our work — a fact, I believe, that severely limits our reach and impact.
How Americans Can Tackle Political Division Together
In August 2022, I (Peter) received an invitation from the Mitch McConnell Center in Louisville, Kentucky, to visit for a few days and work with their 40 undergraduate McConnell Scholars on bipartisanship. Frankly, I was a bit shocked to receive this request. A progressive-leaning Democrat, I was triggered by the Center’s namesake, and felt immediately suspicious, picturing the snare-trap screaming matches I had seen set on Tucker Carlson’s show on FOX.
Finding the Courage to Challenge Your Political In-Group
Moral certainty is a beautiful thing. It’s simple and clean. It can provide a sense of comfort, of clarity, of purpose, of stability—a sturdy place to stand in the world. Especially when times are difficult —threatening or otherwise unpredictable— our thirst for such certainty skyrockets. We both vividly recall feeling this in the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. President Bush declared in an address that fall, “You are either with us or against us.” It was not a time for shades of gray.
Americans Are Tired of Political Division. Here’s How to Bridge It
Today, some of America’s top historians, the likes of Doris Kearns Goodwin and John Meacham, are expressing grave concerns about the future of our nation. Their research has identified strong parallels between the U.S. today and conditions in the 1850s, just before the Civil War, including significant levels of distrust in elections, massive disinformation campaigns, and a rising secessionist movement. Relatedly, in How Civil Wars Start, political scientist Barbara F.
Kentuckians can join conversations that heal our political, social divides
OPINION AND COMMENTARY It starts with you, and it starts in Kentucky. Together, we have a unique opportunity to lead the nation in showing Americans how we can speak to each other, be heard and come to an understanding that unites us. We can find a way out of this awful division and a way forward together. A national project with a goal of healing the political and social divides is kicking off its efforts with online conversations in Kentucky on Oct. 24 through Oct. 29.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
Don't give up on America. We can still save ourselves from toxic polarization. Original
We’ve reached an inflection point in the United States. Toxic polarization, once dismissed as the normal back-and-forth of political debate, has gone beyond words and boiled over into violence. We saw the results in real time on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But warning signs were blinking urgently well in advance of those eruptions. Americans are rightly concerned. An astounding 71% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to see why.
Don't give up on America. We can still save ourselves from toxic polarization.
We’ve reached an inflection point in the United States. Toxic polarization, once dismissed as the normal back-and-forth of political debate, has gone beyond words and boiled over into violence. We saw the results in real time on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But warning signs were blinking urgently well in advance of those eruptions. Americans are rightly concerned. An astounding 71% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to see why.
Don't give up on America. We can still save ourselves from toxic polarization.
We’ve reached an inflection point in the United States. Toxic polarization, once dismissed as the normal back-and-forth of political debate, has gone beyond words and boiled over into violence. We saw the results in real time on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But warning signs were blinking urgently well in advance of those eruptions. Americans are rightly concerned. An astounding 71% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to see why.
Don't give up on America. We can still save ourselves from toxic polarization.
We’ve reached an inflection point in the United States. Toxic polarization, once dismissed as the normal back-and-forth of political debate, has gone beyond words and boiled over into violence. We saw the results in real time on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But warning signs were blinking urgently well in advance of those eruptions. Americans are rightly concerned. An astounding 71% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to see why.
Don't give up on America. We can still save ourselves from toxic polarization.
We’ve reached an inflection point in the United States. Toxic polarization, once dismissed as the normal back-and-forth of political debate, has gone beyond words and boiled over into violence. We saw the results in real time on Jan. 6, 2021, and in the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd in 2020. But warning signs were blinking urgently well in advance of those eruptions. Americans are rightly concerned. An astounding 71% say the country is heading in the wrong direction. It’s easy to see why.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late. Original
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America is in danger of falling apart. We need to act now before it's too late.
On a recent road trip across the United States, I repeatedly encountered the breathtaking beauty of the place we call home. The peaks and plains awakened my patriotism. The pain and fear prevalent today seemed, at times, far away. Yet I know that toxic polarization – the way we demonize each other across differences – is causing breakdown from the dinner table to family vacations, from the workplace to worship services.
America Talks: Toxic polarization threatens our nation's future. Here's how we can save it.
America needs to talk. And will as never before during America Talks and the National Week of Conversation (June 14-20). Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus, said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” They weren’t playing. More than half of us (54%) now say our fellow Americans pose the biggest threat to the country.
America Talks: Toxic polarization threatens our nation's future. Here's how we can save it. Original
America needs to talk. And will as never before during America Talks and the National Week of Conversation (June 14-20). Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus, said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” They weren’t playing. More than half of us (54%) now say our fellow Americans pose the biggest threat to the country.
America Talks: Toxic polarization threatens our nation's future. Here's how we can save it.
America needs to talk. And will as never before during America Talks and the National Week of Conversation (June 14-20). Abraham Lincoln, quoting Jesus, said, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” They weren’t playing. More than half of us (54%) now say our fellow Americans pose the biggest threat to the country.
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