Braver Angels – Are YOU ready to be brave?

We live in a world of polarized views, where it seems that almost everything of personal importance has become politicized. The good news is that as Rotarians, we strive to transcend politics to meet people where they are and serve the common good, regardless of our political persuasion.  However, we can’t help but hold our own biases and judgments about others who don’t think the way we do.  Are you ready to awaken insights into your own natural inclination to have biases and make judgements about others?   If so, please join us for an interactive presentation by two Braver Angels, Ellie Sears (San Francisco) and Paul Schwebel (Petaluma), and learn what inspires them to do this important work, breaking down barriers between “Blue” and “Red.”

Sunrise Rotarians who attended the Rotary Peace Conference in January had an opportunity to experience the work of Braver Angels, a nonpartisan organization with the mission of bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. While this presentation is more time-limited, we will all gain greater personal insights to help us better serve our community through Rotary, both individually and collectively!

Ellie Sears

Ellie joined Braver Angels in January 2021 after becoming exhausted from years of horrible rhetoric and generated by every political sector, the media and her friends! She began looking for a connection to sanity and goodwill and found the answer for her with Braver Angels. She did not want to be a bench sitter and went right to work.  As a result, she has made many Red friends. After retiring from a 30+ year management career in Fashion retailing, she has been able to apply her business, creative and leadership skills to her BA work. She is happy, productive and feels the joy of partnership and collaboration.  Her world has gotten bigger and much richer because of Braver Angels. Ellen is a graduate of the UCLA School of Music.

Paul Schwebel

Braver Angels Sonoma County and Purple co-chair of the Bay Area Superalliance

Paul joined Braver Angels in 2020 to find opportunities to engage with people who have very different political backgrounds and opinions.  Through Braver Angels events, he has found, time and time again, that “those folks on the other side,” are thoughtful, and care deeply about this country.  We have more in common than we think. Over time, he became more involved in the organization, training as an ambassador, organizer and debate chair.

Paul is a lifelong musician with a day job, which saw him involved in various roles in Information Technology. He retired from IT work a few years ago and continues to work and perform locally with other musicians in Sonoma County.