Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on December 07, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
12/2/2020 - The Hispanic Leadership Fund Joins the Alliance! And More FOBs
We are thrilled to announce that the Hispanic Leadership Fund (HLF) has joined the Bridge Alliance family. HLF is dedicated to addressing a wide array of issues that affect American Hispanics across the country, including economics, immigration, and healthcare. We are confident that HLF will be a valuable collaborative partner within the Alliance, as well as a valuable resource for our supporters.
Second, we would like to give a big shout out to Rick Raddatz, Morris Effron, Patricia Brown, and Amanda Kathryn Roman for joining our new Friends of Bridge (FOB) program. The FOB program provides a straightforward path for individuals to get involved with / contribute to the healthy self-governance movement (as well as get exclusive FOB merchandise). If that sounds exciting to you, check out the program today!
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on November 26, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
11/17/2020 - Center for the Study of Liberty -> Civil Squared
With the election in the rearview mirror, though, it gives us great pride to elevate Civil Squared -- a Bridge Alliance member that has consistently and successfully built bridges among Americans of all ideologies. Formerly the Center for the Study of Liberty, Civil Squared underwent a brand transformation in October to better reflect the work it was already doing.
As CS explains it, their old name “conveyed a very formal tone, and at times that formality was out of step with the feeling of intellectual adventure we wanted to inspire.” Civil Squared, on the other hand, reflects their belief “that civil discourse is one of the most effective solutions to our country’s challenges” and their goal to multiple civil discourse exponentially. We are excited by CS’ rebranding and encourage you to check out all they have to offer.
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on November 13, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
11/3/2020 - Be Patient. Be Generous of Spirit. We Can Get Through This.
Check out our Featured Resources for some sources with election day updates. Given the strong chance we won’t know the winner tonight, please prioritize your mental health and be patient while officials count all of the votes.
If you decide that frequent updates are bad for your mental well-being, but you are craving community and want to connect with other concerned Americans, Braver Angels can help you with its “Moments of Peace” event. Once you register, you’ll receive two Zoom links -- one for religious gatherings and one for secular gatherings. Join your preferred meeting at any time from 7 PM until 2 AM ET, as Braver Angels will be hosting 15-minute segments to offer comfort and grounding throughout the night (and no election updates).
Finally, remember that many Bridge Alliance members have been working long, hard hours to empower Americans this election cycle (especially young Americans) and ensure a free and fair election. Let’s applaud their efforts and -- no matter who wins -- honor the American tradition of accepting the results and moving forward. Our democratic republic depends on it.
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on October 29, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
10/27/2020 - It’s An HBCU Showdown! Getting Out The Vote
In 2016, voter turnout at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) dropped from just over 50% to just under 40% as compared to 2012. For a variety of reasons, college students vote less than their old counterparts, but HBCUs in particular saw a precipitous drop in participation in 2016 (compared to an increase in turnout among college students as a whole).
Bridge Alliance member Campus Vote Project is doing its part to reverse this trend among HBCU students with its Legacy Initiative. In addition to seeking to understand and address the barriers that HBCU students face to vote, the Legacy Initiative is also working hard to get HBCU students excited about making their voices heard at the polls.
Their latest GOTV effort will be HBCU Culture Clash on Thursday, October 29th @ 7:30 PM ET! This family feud style game show will be hosted by comedian Renny and will feature two teams (Team Legacy and Team Freedom) of celebrities and leaders representing HBCUs across the country. If you’re like me and love gameshows, be sure to tune in for this energetic and informative showdown
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on October 22, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
10/20/2020 - Reaching Millions of Americans Pre-Election
Bridge Alliance members continue their work making a huge impact on a large swath of Americans. For instance, BallotReady has reached 50 million(!?) people through their partnership with TikTok. TikTok users have ready access to BallotReady’s comprehensive voter guide, which gives information on registering to vote, requesting a ballot, and the candidates and measures that will appear on their ballot.
Not to be outdone, Google is teaming up with Democracy Works to show people where to vote. Whether you ask Google Assistant, search “where to vote” on Google Maps, or search “where to vote” in the classic search box, you will get results -- pulled from Democracy Works’ Voting Information Project -- on where to vote and helpful reminders to make the process as smooth as possible.
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on October 16, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
10/13/2020 - The Academy Awards for Collaboration - The Civvys!
Before we talk about the Civvys, make sure you register for the panel discussion on Stars and Strife -- a documentary that explores rising anger and hate in American political culture. Register now to see the movie for free (you'll receive a link in the confirmation email) and reserve your spot for the discussion on Monday October 19th @ 7 PM ET.
Stars and Strife and the Civvys are actually two sides of the same coin. Stars and Strife explores how we have created a culture of hatred and distrust, and the Civvys highlight what we can accomplish when we rise above that culture. Now in its 4th year, the Civvys “celebrate best practices in civic collaboration that put community and nation before party, ideology and narrow interests.”
If you know about a project or organization that is helping to make America work through collaboration, be sure to nominate them using this form! Nominations are being accepted through November 20th. Past winners have included ioby (a fundraising platform for community projects); iCivics (a website that teaches civics through games); and New Hampshire Listens (a regional organization that promotes civil discourse on hard topics in New Hampshire).
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on October 08, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
10/05/2020 - Nobody Can Agree On The Facts….But Wait, That’s Not True
As Julie Mastrine of AllSides discusses in a recent blog post, “partisan media outlets can take the very same facts and data to spin vastly different stories and conclusions.” To illustrate her point, she gives several hot button issues and notes the established facts that left and right leaning media emphasize to paint wildly different pictures of the situation. For instance, were this summer’s Black Lives Matter protests peaceful or violent? On one hand, the vast majority of protests were peaceful (93%). On the other, several hundred protests turned violent over a three month period (550).
This is not to say that everybody’s fact-based opinion should be given equal weight; people can still be wrong even if they have correct facts. It does show, however, how our understanding of the world can be limited by our choice of news sources, even if those sources tell the truth! (which is why regularly visiting AllSides is such a good idea!)
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on October 01, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
9/29/2020 - The Black Voices for Black Justice Fund
Today, we are proud to announce our involvement in the new Black Voices for Black Justice Fund, which launched this morning at 8:30 AM ET. In the words of Fund co-chair Kerry Washington, “The Black Voices for Black Justice Fund recognizes incredible leaders who have been on the frontlines working to dismantle the deep-rooted, racist systems that have plagued our country for centuries. Amplifying their voices and providing resources to these inspiring advocates is critical as we strive towards equity and racial justice in this country.”
10/01/2020 - Four More Years?
We aren’t interested in telling you who to vote for. We are very interested, though, in giving you the tools to express your preference. Voting is more complicated this year, as COVID-19 has thrown a number of wrenches into the usual election machinery. The vast majority of states have responded by making it easier for citizens to vote by mail (VBM), but many Americans have no experience with voting by mail.
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on September 25, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
9/22/2020 - Reflecting on Justice Ginsburg’s Life and Celebrating her Friendship with Scalia
We want to take this moment to celebrate the life and legacy of this brilliant legal scholar, as well as her friendship with the equally brilliant Antonin Scalia. It is well known that Ginsburg and Scalia were close friends up until his unexpected death in 2016 (the National Review, USA Today, Fox News, the National Catholic Register, and many other publications have documented their incredible friendship).
9/24/2020 - Preparing for Election…..Week (Lots of Information Inside)
Unless there’s a landslide on November 3rd -- which there may be -- it’s almost a certainty that we will go to sleep on election night without being sure who won the Presidency (let alone who has control of the Senate). Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, an unprecedented number of Americans plan to vote by mail. In several critical swing states that will mean a delay in the final results because (1) officials aren’t allowed to count mail-in ballots until election day and/or (2) ballots that arrive after Election Day can still be counted. Bridge Alliance member Ballotpedia has done an incredible job of compiling this information.
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Posted by Bridge Alliance Education Fund on September 17, 2020
Below are the highlights and featured resources of this past week’s Daily* Resource.
9/15/2020 - Let’s Get Uncomfortable
Talking with people who strongly disagree with you is not easy. Trying to solve big problems with such people can seem nearly impossible. Yet that’s exactly what Convergence does on topics ranging from the economy to education to healthcare -- they bring together stakeholders with seemingly incompatible views and help them find common ground and develop solutions.
This is exactly the kind of work we need to do as a country to navigate our current, turbulent political waters. Which is why we’re excited to promote Convergence’s upcoming webinar “Employing mediation skills to tackle seemingly intractable issues.” This learning experience will take place on Thursday, September 24th at 8 AM PT (11 AM ET).
If you can’t wait a week to explore the discomfort of disagreement, be sure to sign up for Braver Angels’ upcoming debate “Debate: Free Speech and Cancel Culture with Andrew Sullivan,” which will take place this Thursday at 8 PM ET. Unlike traditional debates, a Braver Angels debate is about listening to others’ perspectives and opening yourself up to greater understanding. If you feel up for the challenge, be sure to sign up today!
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