People all have those hills that they plan to die on, that they think will never change. And that’s probably true. Most people are dead set on their opinions. However, sometimes those opinions make them unable to hear the opinions of others. On both sides of the political spectrum people are unwilling to merely listen to someone on the other side speak. While someone may be asking at this very moment “well why should I care what they have to say?” They may come to find that they share more similarities with the other side than one may think.
Sept. 25, 2025 Winona State University’s Civic Center helped put on a series of events on campus. One of which was the night’s “How Do We Find Community in Our Differences” workshop. This workshop was created through a partnership of the civic center, specifically Elissa Alzate who coordinated the event on the Winona State side, and an organization known as Winona Braver Angels. Braver Angels is an organization that aims to do away with the mass polarization that divides people. They have many workshops that deal with how to have something as simple as an open conversation with someone who may or may not have different beliefs.
Why does this matter? That’s what some people may be thinking, and they wouldn’t be alone. Common consensus seems to be that people believe that their beliefs are moral ones, and that an opposition is immoral. Whether or not that’s true though isn’t going to make people come together or change their minds. That’s why the goal of Braver Angles isn’t for people to change the minds of others. Rather it is to demonstrate that people aren’t so different on a deeper level.
“Understand[ing] each other better and then look for common ground. The goal is not compromise,” is what co-founder of Braver Angels, Bill Doherty, had to say about the organization’s goals.
A member of Braver Angles state committee, Peg Meyer, who has been involved in peacemaking since 1968, found that she chose to stay with Braver Angels because
“What appealed to me most about Braver Angels is that it’s bipartisan. Because I’m progressive, but a lot of the organizations involved with bringing about peacemaking tend to be all blue,” Meyer said. “I really wanted to have an experience that included a wide range of opinions.”
If variety is the spice of life, then Braver Angels has that concept down.
Doherty shared a story at the end of the workshop in which he worked with members of congress, and two different senators of differing political ideologies had similar childhoods and reasons for why they got into politics in the first place. What that demonstrated was that people all have things in common. They may go about things differently but still have a positive reason for doing so.
Most things that people do are founded in feelings and our life experiences. And while a lot of people have experienced different lives, they still share many overarching values.
What one person views as safety might not align with another person’s view of safety. However, the core value of those two perceptions is the same.
There were a number of people from the Winona area, and even the mayor of Goodview in attendance as well as a few county officials. One of the local attendees, Mickey Maslowski, shared their reasons for attending the event and the sentiment of Braver Angels is very much present in the feelings.
“I’m about building connections and community, and it’s important to know how to communicate respectfully. And so, that’s what I’m trying to learn.” Maslowski said.
On average, a person probably won’t ever change someone’s entire belief system, and trying to force someone to change will only lead to more conflict. But maybe, if there are open and empathetic conversations with each other, they can discover that they are more alike than they think. In turn this would make people also become empathetic towards each other.
“It’s not my job to change your mind,” Melinda Voss, who helped coordinate the event, said as she helped close it out. At the end of the day that was the goal of the workshop.
