Many fear that having civil discussions with those who disagree with them is increasingly difficult. A local group is trying to change that.
The Salem chapter of Braver Angels formed last year to fight political polarization and bridge the partisan divide. The group is cross-partisan and volunteer-led, and has over 14,670 members nationally, according to its website. It has been involved in Oregon since 2018 and is active in several counties in the Willamette Valley and Columbia Gorge.
Tim Buckley is a freelance writer and a teacher of non-violent communication. He is co-founder of the Salem chapter and its “blue” (progressive-leaning) co-chair.
He said persuading people to consider opposing ideas is difficult at first, and those with extreme views may be reluctant to join initiatives like Braver Angels. But the best approach to reach people is on an individual level by using connections and encouraging them to question their personal biases, he added.
Previously disenchanted with politics, Buckley discovered Braver Angels through his non-violent communication work, and decided to implement it in Salem.
“As a liberal, I went to my first red-blue workshop thinking I had no bias and I had figured that stuff out. I realized that my bias of people who are conservative was way too narrow, and that by the end of the day, I had grown to respect and appreciate people with different points of view,” Buckley said. “There’s a way in which we can acknowledge our blind spots by being in community with people who think differently.”

Each local Braver Angels steering group is required to have equal representation of conservatives and liberals. Members come from diverse backgrounds, generations and varying degrees of political involvement, Buckley said.
Satya Chandragiri, the “red” (conservative-leaning) co-chair of the group, has been a member of the Salem-Keizer School Board since 2019 and is a psychiatrist. He said that at Braver Angels meetings, the group will start discussing “middle ground topics” and gradually transition to more controversial and polarizing issues.
The group aims to attract Salem residents, elected officials and community organizations, Chandragiri said.
“The next stage is to target college students [and] the youth. The door is open to everybody,” he said.
Chandragiri is a naturalized citizen from India. “I come from a country where we have so much diversity, yet we all have a common destiny. Let’s work towards that, and let’s be respectful of that,” he said.
Chandragiri hopes that by participating in civil discussion more people will soon be comfortable exposing themselves to different opinions and viewpoints. He acknowledged that it may be a slow and difficult process.
The group will host monthly “Coffee Talks” for people to meet and discuss issues. The first will be held at IKE Box at 299 Cottage St. N.E. at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24.
Contact reporter Alan Cohen: [email protected].
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Alan Cohen is an intern at the Salem Reporter and an undergraduate at Willamette University. Born and raised in Spain, he has also been involved in student journalism for three years, and is passionate about bringing a voice to underrepresented communities through ethical reporting.