About the Braver Angels North-Central New Mexico Alliance

Local Attendees Laud NM Braver Angels' recent Red-Blue Workshop

San Antonito resident Catherine Wambach says: “if I can trust that the person I’m talking to is trying to understand my point of view, rather than be right or prove me wrong, I am more likely to alter my conflict stance into a neutral position and actually listen to them and build a connection around what we can agree on.

"The Braver Angels New Mexico workshop in March 2023 gave me an opportunity to be heard and to learn about others. It was a positive experience with people who usually want to convince me I’m wrong. I have recommended it to all my left-leaning family.”

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Rob Raucci, a Valencia County resident, says: “A result of attending the Red-Blue Workshop is that I am more aware of how we talk to one another and how we struggle to actually hear one another. The workshop made me more aware of how to listen first and respond second.

"The Braver Angels North-Central New Mexico Alliance is a place where we can find common ground without judgment and where we treat everyone with decency and respect.”

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Santa Fe book publisher Marty Gerber says his experience with Braver Angels’ North-Central New Mexico Alliance showed him that moving past the fear and anger that’s tearing our nation and communities apart is possible.

“It’s not easy because the forces that gain from this polarization are many and powerful.

"But at their core, ‘the people’ (ourselves and our neighbors) really do have the power to join together for our overall common gain. Braver Angels’ workshops helped me to see my own inner polarizations and learn how to communicate with people who have a different point of view.”

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Barbara Regan was able to see the possibility of having a civil conversation with someone holding an opposing view on a very sensitive topic. She attended a Braver Angels Film Club discussion of the documentary, The Abortion Talks.

“I am pro-life and have joined a group from my church that periodically prays in front of an Albuquerque abortion clinic. During the film discussion, a comment in the chat caught my attention. The individual stated that she was an escort at an abortion clinic. She said that she just couldn't imagine talking to somebody who was praying outside of a clinic.

‘Long story short, we met online with a Braver Angels moderator and followed the 1:1 Red-Blue format. We were both able to dig deeper into what the other person believed and how they came to their beliefs. No one's view was changed about abortion, but at least one person changed their view about a person on the other side—a small step, but all change happens one step at a time.”

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Jim Oyster, a retired tech writer from Eldorado, attended his first Braver Angels New Mexico workshop in March 2023. He was pleased to see so many people interested in communicating across their various divides.

“It strikes me that much of the news media and all social media comprises people interested in reenforcing entrenched positions and hectoring those with opposing views. If Braver Angels can show me a path that leads from squabble to dialogue—and I think it can—I’m all in.

"I am a reasonable person who values dialogue, logic, and constructive argument. I hope, however, that Braver Angels can help me alter some of my actions. When confronted with ad hominem attacks, I am all too willing to respond in kind and crank the volume up to eleven. I would also like to learn how to tell when constructive argument is appropriate and when listening is.

"I would like others to know that dialogue is possible, that Braver Angels North-Central New Mexico Alliance workshops and monthly meetings are places where dialogue can happen, and that BANM may provide the tools to create more such places.”