Bridging divides across the political spectrum

By Mikaela Lefrak,

Published November 27, 2024 at 12:54 PM EST

When you sit down to Thanksgiving dinner, are you going to be at a table with anyone with really different political views? Instead of fighting or remaining distant, could this be the year to try and find some common ground?

Today, we share a recording of a recent live event at Vermont Public’s studios in conjunction with StoryCorp. It’s with Vermonters who participated in our One Small Step program. Each person was matched with a stranger with different views and life experiences. They have a facilitated conversation, and learn how to bridge their divides. They are Chris Sims of Jericho, Judy Scott of St. George, Ramona Akpo-Sani of Orwell, and Beth Howard of Williston. And from Braver Angels, we have Lincoln Earle-Centers of Montpelier and Katherine Cadwell of Fayston.

We were also joined by two folks from Braver Angels, an organization with a similar mission of connecting people across political divides, Lincoln Earle-Centers of Montpelier and Katherine Cadwell of Fayston.

If you are a part of an organization who would like to take part in One Small Step training, visit https://www.vermontpublic.org/2024-11-26/request-a-training-session-one-small-step-on-the-road

This event was taped on November 17th and broadcast live on November 27, 2024, at noon; rebroadcast at 7 p.m.

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Vermont Edition Government & Politics

Mikaela Lefrak

Mikaela Lefrak is the host and senior producer of Vermont Edition. Her stories have aired nationally on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, Marketplace, The World and Here & Now. A seasoned local reporter, Mikaela has won two regional Edward R. Murrow awards and a Public Media Journalists Association award for her work.

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Karen Anderson

Karen is Vermont Public's Director of Radio Programming, serving Vermonters by overseeing the sound of Vermont Public's radio broadcast service. Karen has a long history with public radio, beginning in the early 2000's with the launch of the weekly classical music program, Sunday Bach. Karen's undergraduate degree is in Broadcast Journalism, and she has worked for public radio in Vermont and St. Louis, MO, in areas of production, programming, traffic, operations and news. She has produced many projects for broadcast over the years, including the Vermont Public Choral Hour, with host Linda Radtke, and interviews with local newsmakers with Morning Edition host Mitch Wertlieb. In 2021 Karen worked with co-producer Betty Smith on a national collaboration with StoryCorps One Small Step, connecting Vermonters one conversation at a time.

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Jon Ehrens

Jon has spent his entire adult life working in broadcast journalism. He began his career in Baltimore at WYPR, and has since been a producer for WHYY, Vox, The Majority Report with Sam Seder, and The Talkhouse. Jon is a lifelong recording artist whose projects include Repelican, The Art Department, and Dungeonesse. He lives with his wife in Panton, Vermont.

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