What’s the Dream?
Common Ground Nashville began one night in November 2016. Frustrated by campaign rhetoric, we were left wondering if our society had lost its ability to talk about tough issues.
We decided to work on building a community here in Nashville that can talk productively about hard issues dividing our country. We wanted to include people with a variety of perspectives, experiences, and ideas. We wanted to create a open and welcoming place to speak, to be heard, and to listen respectfully. We wanted to find Common Ground, despite our disagreements.
We have grown to more than 200 members that includes participants from across the Nashville area, and beyond. About 20-30 members attend each meeting. While we normally meet in person once a month, we are currently meeting virtually on Zoom to discuss issues that affect our communities and nation. We meet on the third Tuesday evening of each month. We are collaborating with the Nashville Braver Angels Alliance. Braver Angels is a citizens’ organization uniting conservative and liberal Americans in a working alliance to depolarize America. https://braverangels.org/
Our meetings are a forum for practicing rich, robust conversation around meaningful issues, and our ground rules provide a framework for successful and rewarding discussions. All participation is voluntary; there are opportunities for breakout sessions after introductions and opening comments. Through civil discourse, we better understand other perspectives, practice respect for each other, and find common ground in the midst of our disagreements.
If Common Ground Nashville sounds intriguing, please join us! See link below to sign up for our email distribution list. You can also follow us on Facebook at Common Ground Nashville. http://facebook.com/CommonGroundNashville
Questions? Please reach out to co-leads Beth Malow (bethmalow@gmail.com) or Catherine Clark (cathclark@bellsouth.net).
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world: indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” -Margaret Mead
Want to Join Common Ground Nashville?
Sign up for our email list here.
Our next meeting is being planned for in-person, on August 23, 2022, and will be a book discussion on “High Conflict- Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out” by Amanda Ripley. It is available free on Kindle: https://www.amazon.com/High-Conflict-Why-Get-Trapped/dp/1982128569
We will send out the location soon. It will be a potluck dinner starting at 6:30 pm followed by the discussion.
Previous Events for Common Ground Nashville
2021-2022
April 19, 2022 History of the Conservative Movement in America
Sept 21, 2021 The Role of Race in School Curriculum
Nov 16, 2021 Opportunities and Barriers in Conversations about Climate
2020-2021
Sept 24, 2020 Immigration (Joint Event with the Tennessee Immigrant and Minority Business Group)
Oct 15, 2020 Braver Angels Depolarizing Within Workshop (Pre-Election)*
Nov 13, 2020 Media: A Force for Strengthening our Democracy?
Jan 21, 2021 Vaccine Enthusiasm and Vaccine Hesitancy
Mar 18, 2021 The Two-Party System
Apr 15, 2021 Healing our Health Care System
We will post future dates and topics here and via our email list
*Braver Angels is a national organization focused on reducing political polarization. https://braverangels.org/
Additional Links for Common Ground Nashville
Civil Discourse as a Path to Hearing Others’ Hopes & Fears (Beth Malow and Catherine Clark)
https://edgeforscholars.org/civil-discourse-and-medicine-the-connection/
How Citizens Can Productively Discuss Their Covid-19 Vaccine Hopes and Fears (Catherine Clark and Beth Malow op-ed in Tennessean, February 5, 2021)
Common Ground Nashville 