With Malice Toward None: An Opportunity to Connect After the Election

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NOTE DATE CHANGE: This event will now take place Sunday, November 15th, in the afternoon.

Congregations of the Southern Oregon UU Partnership are invited to participate in a Zoom session to process our experiences of the election on the afternoon of Sunday, November 15th in the afternoon, exact time to be determined.

Rev. Cynthia O’Brien spoke to Unitarian Universalists of Grants Pass on Oct. 4th  about a project of Braver Angels: a series of respectful conversations around the county soon after the November elections.  The “With Malice Toward None” project is an initiative to heal America in the aftermath of a clear 2020 election outcome. Religious congregations, colleges, civic organizations, and small groups of friends and neighbors are invited to organize gatherings (online or in-person) for their members after the election has been decided. In these gatherings, red and blue Americans consider how they want to regard their fellow citizens who voted differently and begin building the capacity of We the People to forge “a more perfect union” moving into 2021.

UUGP has decided to make this opportunity available to those in our congregation, and our SOUUP partners, to join one of these groups.  The plan is to hold one conversation among ourselves, which is expected to last about 90 minutes on Zoom Sunday afternoon Nov. 15th.  This will give us a chance to respectfully reflect on the outcome of the election with like-minded citizens, our own friends and fellow UUs. After participating in this event within our SOUUP community, those who have attended will hopefully have the opportunity to engage in respectful conversation with others beyond our UU community, others who may feel very differently about the election outcome, at some point in the future if folks desire.

These meetings will be led by Alison Duren-Sutherland, Southern Oregon UU Partnership Intern Minister, Steve Radcliff, a member of our Southern Oregon community who has been working with Braver Angels for some time, and Georgia Moulton of the UUGP Board, following the Braver Angels guidelines, which have been used successfully for conversations of this kind across the country.  The goals the Braver Angels organization have for each of us from the first meeting are:

  • We achieve acknowledgement and acceptance of our core experience of the election within our beloved community.
  • We commit to regarding and treating our fellow community members and fellow citizens, who voted differently, with respect for their own human worth and dignity.
  • We commit to action steps in our personal lives and within our community aimed at helping to forge “a more perfect union.

Please accept our invitation to join this first session by making your calendar.  You do not need to preregister, simply click on the Zoom link when it is made available (watch your email and News to Note!) and join the group on Nov. 15th.  Exact time is yet to be determined.  We look forward to seeing you there.