By Edita McQuary
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”
— Abraham Lincoln, 1861
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In this highly charged political atmosphere, some of us are treading carefully when talking with family, friends and neighbors. No one wants to be thought of as intolerant or ignorant in this new, polarized America.
Katy Stonebloom (Center) of Aptos helped create “Better Angels”
It may seem as if this has never happened in our country’s history. Yet, if we look back about 150 years ago we come across President Lincoln’s words above.
Laurie Goodman, retired from the Aromas Water District, heard an NPR report of an organization called “Better Angels” and attended an all-day workshop in Alameda last October. She got her moment of fame when a New York Times reporter wrote an article about the group including a photograph of her and other participants.
Goodman’s concern is that “we are becoming two Americas, each angry with the other, and neither trusting the other’s basic humanity and good intentions.“
She decided to start a “Better Angels — Monterey and San Benito Counties” group headquartered in Aromas. Friends Thom and Linda McCue of Aromas and Katy Stonebloom, 30-year resident of Aromas currently living in Aptos, joined her.
Thom McCue retired as head of the Local Agency Formation Commission Organization in Monterey County and his wife taught school in Aromas for many years. Stonebloom retired from the Aromas School District after teaching bilingual education for many years.
The first meeting on Jan. 25 at the Aromas Water District Board office in Aromas attracted about a dozen people interested in and concerned about the state of our local and national politics. This was a “get-acquainted” session.
“Better Angels” started in Ohio right after the contentious 2016 election, formed by concerned citizens “to bridge the gap and depolarize America.”
The national website (www.bettr-angels.org) explains that two people in Ohio invited a handful of Trump supporters and Clinton supporters together for a weekend. They also invited a noted family therapist and community organizer to develop a structure and program for that weekend.
There is now a “Better Angels” organization in every state in the union as well as in the District of Columbia. There are branches in Northern and Southern California branches, however, there does not appear to be a branch in Santa Cruz County yet.
This grassroots organization of Democratic or liberal-leaning “blues” and Republican or conservation-leaning “reds” is dedicated to bring the two sides together to better understand and engage with each other, form community alliances, and advocate for a less polarizing style of politics.
From the leaflet: “Better Angels does not seek to change anyone’s mind about underlying political issues, nor do we advocate for simply splitting the difference between left and right and embracing centrism. However, we do believe that if the temperature is lowered in our nation’s political climate, we can create the room necessary for the two sides to come together to meet the many challenges we face as a nation. American has overcome deep divisions before, but never without great effort. “
From the website: “The Red/Blue Workshops bring together 5-7 Republican or conservative-leaning citizens and 5-7 Democratic or liberal-leaning citizens for a day of structured conversations. Here’s what you can expect to get out of a workshop:
- Better understand the experiences and beliefs of those on the other side of the political divide
- Find areas of commonality in addition to differences
- Learn something that might be helpful to you and to others in your community and the nation”
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Interested? Come to the next “Better Angels” meeting at 9:30 a.m. Feb. 8 at the Aromas Water District Board Room, 388 Blohm Avenue, Aromas. Contact: [email protected]
