Suzanne Jouvenat --
Suzanne was born in Omaha, attended schools in Columbus and then left the state for the next 25 years as she pursued her studies and eventual career in music performance. She graduated as a Voice major from Kansas University, did Master classes in Washington DCA before embarking on teaching Voice at University of Ghana outside Accra. This American next lived and studied in Zurich Switzerland, preparing for engagements in European opera houses.
Suzanne visited Cape Town and a major aspect of her professional career began through playing lead roles in opera, operetta, musical comedy, oratorio, television and theater. After returning to the States with her two children, she felt the “call” to enroll in an El Ed program and upon graduation taught K-8 music, gave private voice lessons and presented concerts through the NE Arts Council.
Suzanne has worked at CEDARS during grad school, then as a dual disorders therapist at CenterPoint, St Monica’s and currently serving all populations and issues with the Lincoln Family Medical Group for 10 years. She has 4 grandchildren and is active in her church and various groups, a member of PEO, loves the people and opportunities provided in Lincoln. The activity of the Rotary clubs have many similarities to Braver Angels; she had the joy of visiting and performing for some while in South Africa.
Braver Angels - "Depolarizing America"
Suzanne told us what "Braver Angels" do: The Challenge: Political Polarization
Politics is tough. It always has been. American politics is competitive, thrilling, frustrating – and infuriating. The stakes are high. Issues are important. Outcomes matter. This is why we care, and should care, about our politics.
But do our politics have to be demonizing? Does it have to bring out the worst in us? Do our politics have to destroy the goodwill of our society? Is the dehumanizing of our fellow Americans something we should accept?
Affective political polarization (not only disagreement on issues but personal contempt and distrust) has been growing between us for at least 25 years. In other words the vitriol in American politics was a problem long before Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the 2020 election. Yet today, there is evidence to suggest that we are now as polarized as we have been since the Civil War. Americans no longer see their political opponents as simply wrong or misguided. They see them as enemies who must be defeated at all costs. We do not accept this.
At Braver Angels we do not accept this division. We reject the normalizing of this extreme polarization. We say no to the break down of political and social life that it brings.
Our work is about building civic trust in the USA. It is about healing the wounds between left and right. It is about challenging institutions to be better, building community together, and discovering what it means to be American in our time. Our work is about supporting a more perfect union. Our work is about inspiring the beloved community.
What Can We Do?
At Braver Angels, our work is about building a house united. Our mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. We do so by observing the Braver Angels Way: We state ours views freely and fully, without fear. We welcome opportunities to engage with those with whom we disagree. We treat people who disagree with us with honesty and respect. We seek to disagree accurately, avoiding exaggeration and stereotypes. We look for common ground where it exists, and if possible, find way to work together. We believe that all of us have blind spots and none of us are not worth talking to. We believe that, in disagreements, both sides share and learn. In Braver Angels, neither side is teaching the other or giving feedback on how to think or say things differently. Our work ethic is citizen-leadership; we’re many volunteers assisted by a professional staff. We’re guided by the Braver Angels Rule: At every level of organizational guidance, red and blue leaders are equally represented. Regarding race, ethnicity, and social and economic class, our constant striving is to be an organization that reflects the country we seek to serve.
With passions still high following the election of 2016 we assembled 10 Trump supporters and 11 Clinton supporters in South Lebanon, Ohio. This would become our first Red/Blue Workshop. The goal was simple. We needed to see if Americans could still disagree respectfully – and just maybe, find common ground. Some thought it wasn’t likely. We proved our skeptics wrong.
Republican and Democrat, native born and immigrant: these Americans liked each other. But first they had to hear one another’s stories. Black and white, Christian and Muslim: these Americans could appreciate each others opinions. But first they needed to see where these opinions came from. They could listen to each others points of view once they saw one another, not as stereotypes, but as neighbors in a country they shared.
The first gathering was successful. Everyone agreed: this needed to be just the beginning. And it was. This was the beginning of the organization originally called Better Angels, and of a powerful new approach to political depolarization that would soon sprout across the country.
In South Lebanon, Ohio the first Better Angels Alliance was born. National Public Radio discovered our efforts and dedicated an hour-long segment to covering our work. The word spread. We began receiving emails from people across the country asking, “Can you please come to my community?” Meanwhile, the divisions in the nation rose. Against the backdrop of demonstrations in the streets, bitter fighting in congress, national uproar over healthcare, immigration and gun control, and irresponsible pundits and politicians inflaming the discourse at every turn, Better Angels took action. Responding to popular demand we launched a summer bus tour, starting in Waynesville, Ohio, and ending in Philadelphia, PA. A fall tour followed, starting in Washington, DC running through North Carolina and ending in Nashville. We held workshops, trained over 100 workshop moderators, built friendships and changed lives. By the end of 2017 our members and volunteers stretched across the country.
In 2018 our work only grew. We launched The Better Angels Podcast — now known as The Braver Angels Podcast — interviewing leading voices from the left and the right and changing the conversation online. We expanded to college campuses, held our first national convention, and were featured regularly in the press across the country. By 2019 it was clear – Better Angels was at the head of a movement not just to depolarize politics, but to re-imagine what it means to be an American. In early 2020, Better Angels changed its name to Braver Angels to reflect the courage needed to bridge the divide. Braver Angels was inspired by the words of Abraham Lincoln, who not only called on Americans to summon the “better angels” of our nature — but called on us to find the courage needed to pursue a more perfect union, “with malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right.” To meet the current moment, at this time of national crisis, we need more than civility. We need to challenge ourselves to work.
Our Approach
Braver Angels seeks to depolarize American politics. Our work is rooted in grassroots organizing. From the grassroots however, our volunteer leaders (supported by a small staff) leverage Braver Angels programs and unique organizing structure to impact community life and American institutions.
Specifically, our efforts are focused on:
- Grassroots
- Academia
- Media
- Politics & Government
The root of our organizing, however, begins in the transformation of our attitudes towards each other. The foundation of all our activities is what we refer to as patriotic-empathy: the idea that our love for our country is shown by our concern for our fellow citizens.
If feelings about our political adversaries can be represented on a spectrum, our objective is to move Americans from hatred or disdain to respect & appreciation.
Our approach is guided by the Braver Angels Pledge:
- As individuals, we try to understand the other side’s point of view, even if we don’t agree with it.
- In our communities, we engage those we disagree with, looking for common ground and ways to work together.
- In politics, we support principles that bring us together rather than divide us.