What is Pluralism?

Here is a definition of pluralism based on the sources you provided:

● Pluralism is the practice of respectfully acknowledging and engaging with diverse perspectives, even when there are fundamental disagreements.
It emphasizes that a society is strengthened by its differences, rather than weakened by them.

● Pluralism requires a commitment to respecting all identities, building relationships between different communities, and cooperating on projects that benefit the common good.

● It necessitates the ability to engage with individuals who hold different viewpoints and to search for common ground5, even when those viewpoints feel threatening.

● Pluralism is not about simply tolerating differences or pretending that disagreements don’t exist.
Instead, it’s about recognizing that people can have different beliefs and values while still working together on shared goals.

The sources highlight that pluralism is essential for a healthy democracy. It enables people to bridge their differences, make better choices, and solve collective challenges. When people engage in the work of pluralism, it can lead to remarkable and lasting change.

Examples of pluralism in action are provided throughout the sources. For instance:

● Mark Holden, a representative of Koch Industries, collaborated with Valerie Jarrett during the Obama administration to advance criminal justice reform despite their fundamental disagreements on other issues.

● The passage of the Respect for Marriage Act in the United States, which solidified the right to gay and interracial marriage, came about after supporters engaged with religious groups that had previously opposed the legislation.

● The Muslim student group at the University of Wisconsin partnered with Jewish Social Services to provide meals for refugee families moving to Madison.

The sources emphasize that pluralism is not something that can be left to experts or delegated to others. It requires each individual to get involved in the complexities of real life, to engage with those who are different, and to search for common ground. The reward for this effort is a better world for everyone.

The text comprises excerpts from the Obama Foundation’s 3rd annual Democracy Forum. Multiple speakers address the challenges of political polarization and offer diverse perspectives on pluralism as a solution. Discussions explore the importance of bridging divides, fostering understanding across differences, and building lasting coalitions for positive change. Specific examples of pluralism in action are provided, highlighting initiatives in various sectors and communities. The forum emphasizes the role of storytelling and shared experiences in strengthening democracy.

A Glimpse into Pluralism: The Obama Foundation Democracy Forum

Part I: Opening Remarks

• Barack Obama: Welcomes attendees and emphasizes the importance of practicing democratic tools and techniques, highlighting the upcoming Obama Presidential Center as a space for such engagement.
• Obama on Democracy: Underscores the strength of democracy as dependent on the active participation of the people and their demand for responsive institutions.

Part II: Keynote Address – Shadi Hamid

• Defining the “Tribe”: Explores the inherent human tendency towards tribalism, emphasizing that the challenge lies in defining one’s “us” in a way that embraces diversity and fosters engagement across difference.
• Levels of Pluralism: Introduces three levels of pluralism, culminating in the idea of finding common ground and building lasting majorities with those who hold different viewpoints.
• Navigating Difference: Acknowledges the discomfort and potential difficulties of engaging across difference, while emphasizing the need for curiosity and a willingness to challenge assumptions about those who hold different political beliefs.
• The Power of Addition: Advocates for an approach of addition rather than subtraction, emphasizing the importance of expanding coalitions and recognizing the potential of unlikely allies in achieving meaningful change.
• Historical Context: Situates pluralism within a historical context, highlighting its relatively recent emergence and the unprecedented progress it has facilitated in terms of wealth, education, and human rights.

Part III: Interfaith Cooperation – Eboo Patel

• A Quintessential American Story: Shares a personal anecdote about his father-in-law’s journey as a Muslim immigrant who achieved success and contributed to American society, highlighting the themes of pride, progress, and patriotic duty.
• The Potluck Supper Analogy: Presents the metaphor of America as a potluck supper, where everyone’s contribution is valued and cooperation overcomes division.
• Building a Nation: Emphasizes the role of grassroots interfaith cooperation in building a strong nation, drawing on the example of a project in Nashville that brought together diverse groups to celebrate their shared city.

Part IV: AI and the Design of Democracy – Finale Doshi Velez

• AI and Polarization: Acknowledges the role of AI in contributing to societal fragmentation but argues that it doesn’t have to be this way, as humans ultimately design the “game” that AI plays.
• Embracing Multitudes: Underscores the multifaceted nature of human identity, drawing on personal experiences to illustrate the importance of recognizing the multitudes within ourselves and others.
• Reframing the Game: Challenges the audience to consider how AI could be designed to promote pluralism and recognize our shared humanity, urging a shift in focus from emphasizing differences to finding common ground.

Part V: The Power of Questions – Monica Guzman

• Pluralism and Curiosity: Poses the question “Who am I?” as a starting point for exploring pluralism, emphasizing the role of questions and the courage to embrace uncertainty in bridging divides.
• Bridging Political Divides: Highlights her work at Braver Angels, where people from across the political spectrum work to change their views on each other, paving the way for tackling challenging issues together.
• Embracing Difference Within Family: Shares the personal experience of being the liberal daughter of conservative parents, illustrating the potential for respectful disagreement and finding common ground even within families.
• The Power of Listening: Encourages a shift from assuming to listening, urging the audience to allow questions to breathe and challenge their own assumptions.

Part VI: Pluralism in Action: Global Examples

• Colombia: Ana Maria Gonzalez Ferrero’s work amplifying indigenous voices in peace-building efforts, emphasizing the importance of vulnerability and open dialogue.
• Mississippi Delta: Justin Archer Burch’s initiatives fostering economic inclusion, demonstrating the power of bringing together diverse perspectives from those focused on economic and moral imperatives.
• Tulsa: The My Brother’s Keeper Alliance’s focus on creating opportunities for boys and young men of color, highlighting the need to prioritize the common good over ideological differences.

Part VII: The Future Caucus – Leila Zayden, Brandon Woodard, and Tori Marie Arnberger Blue

• The Power of Friendship: Representatives Woodard and Blue, a Democrat and Republican respectively, discuss their genuine friendship and how it has facilitated collaboration and policy successes in the Kansas legislature.
• Finding Common Ground: Share anecdotes about working together, demonstrating the ability to overcome partisan divides and find common ground on issues that matter to their constituents.
• Changing the Culture: Highlight their efforts to modernize the legislature and foster a culture of collaboration and respectful dialogue, emphasizing the importance of getting to know each other as people first.
• Building Coalitions: Emphasize the need for building coalitions across party lines to effectively address the needs of their constituents and achieve meaningful change.

Part VIII: Artistic Expressions of Pluralism – Eboo Patel, Ehad Akhtar, Reina Roberts, and Ryan Reynolds

• Storytelling and Common Experience: Ehad Akhtar frames the conversation by highlighting the role of storytelling in creating common experiences and shaping identity in an increasingly fragmented world.
• Wrexham: A Global Story of Local Belonging: Ryan Reynolds discusses his experience co-owning a Welsh football club and the documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham,” emphasizing the power of storytelling to connect communities and foster emotional investment.
• Country Music and Testing Boundaries: Reina Roberts shares her journey as a black woman in country music, discussing the challenges and rewards of challenging norms and creating inclusive spaces within the genre.
• Redemption and Connection: Reynolds reflects on the importance of redemption in storytelling and the power of connecting with people on a human level, emphasizing the need to move beyond echo chambers and find common ground.

Part IX: Closing Remarks

A Call to Action: Encourages viewers to embrace the principles of pluralism in their own lives and communities, emphasizing the importance of engaging in respectful dialogue, seeking common ground, and celebrating our shared humanity.

Briefing Doc: Obama Foundation Democracy Forum – Morning Session

Date: November 17, 2022
Location: Obama Presidential Center, Chicago, IL
Theme: Pluralism in Action

Key Speakers and Highlights:

• President Barack Obama: Opened the forum by emphasizing the vital role of engaged citizenry in strengthening democracy. He highlighted the upcoming Obama Presidential Center as a “laboratory for positive change” and a “beacon of hope for the world.”
• Eboo Patel, Founder and President of Interfaith America: Advocate for building an America where “diversity is a strength” and “identity is a source of pride.” Patel champions the idea of America as a “potluck supper where we invite everyone’s contribution,” emphasizing cooperation over division.
• Finale Doshi-Velez, Harvard University Professor of Computer Science: Focused on the role of AI in shaping our world, challenging us to become “co-designers of the game” to ensure AI enhances rather than fragments our understanding of each other. She stressed recognizing the “multitudes” within ourselves and others to foster common ground.
• Monica Guzman, Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels: Explored the power of questions and the courage to listen, learn, and challenge assumptions to foster understanding across political divides. She highlighted the work of Braver Angels in bridging the gap between conservatives and liberals to address common issues.
• State Senator-elect Tory Marie Blue and State Representative Brandon Woodard, Kansas Future Caucus: Demonstrated the practical application of pluralism in politics, highlighting their bipartisan friendship and collaboration in the Kansas legislature. They shared examples of how their approach has led to policy successes and a shift towards a more collaborative legislative culture.
• Ryan Reynolds, Actor and Entrepreneur: Shared his experiences with the Wrexham AFC football club, emphasizing the power of storytelling to connect people across geographic and socioeconomic lines. He discussed the importance of emotional investment and authenticity in fostering community and highlighted the role of “redemption” in resonating with audiences.
• Reina Roberts, Country Music Artist: Discussed her experiences navigating the complexities of being a Black woman in country music, challenging genre norms and advocating for inclusivity. Roberts highlighted the often-overlooked role of Black musicians in the creation of country music and her aspirations to be a “superhero” inspiring others to pursue their dreams.

Main Themes and Ideas:

• Pluralism as a Core Principle of Democracy: The session emphasized that acknowledging and valuing diversity of thought, experience, and background is crucial for a thriving democracy.
• Moving Beyond Polarization: Speakers highlighted the need to break free from echo chambers, engage in respectful dialogue with those who hold different viewpoints, and identify shared goals to overcome division and achieve progress.
• The Power of Storytelling: The session underscored how stories, whether shared through film, music, or personal experiences, have the power to create common ground, foster empathy, and inspire action.
• Building a More Inclusive Society: Speakers challenged audiences to embrace the richness of diversity, work towards greater inclusivity, and recognize that differences are not obstacles but rather strengths that enrich our communities.
• Practical Applications of Pluralism: Examples from the Kansas legislature and the Wrexham AFC community demonstrated how embracing pluralistic principles can lead to tangible results, from policy changes to enhanced community engagement.

Notable Quotes:

• President Obama: “Democracies are only as strong as we, the people, demand that they be.”
• Eboo Patel: “I think of America as a potluck supper where we invite everyone’s contribution.”
• Finale Doshi-Velez: “We, humans, are the ones who design the game [of AI].”
• Monica Guzman: “Pluralism craves questions, but questions cannot live without courage.”
• State Rep. Brandon Woodard: “It’s easy to show up in the minority and vote no. But I was elected to do a job and get things done, and that requires building those coalitions.”
• Ryan Reynolds: “The trick is to do it [tell stories] where people in every other city that are watching it get emotionally invested and and fall in love.”
• Reina Roberts: “Great music is great music regardless of what genre we put it in.”

Overall Takeaways:

The morning session of the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum presented a powerful message about the importance of pluralism in our increasingly divided world. Through diverse perspectives and compelling personal narratives, the speakers highlighted the potential for finding common ground, bridging divides, and building a more inclusive and collaborative future.

Obama Foundation Democracy Forum: FAQ

1. What is the main focus of the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum?

The Obama Foundation Democracy Forum centers on strengthening democracy and fostering pluralism in our increasingly diverse and interconnected world. This involves exploring practical solutions to contemporary challenges, learning from changemakers globally, and promoting collaboration across differences.

2. How does the forum address the issue of political polarization?

The forum tackles polarization by highlighting the importance of pluralism – understanding and valuing diverse perspectives. Speakers emphasize the need for engaging with people who hold different views, building bridges instead of walls, and finding common ground to address shared challenges.

3. What role does storytelling play in promoting pluralism, according to forum participants?

Storytelling, especially through mediums like film, music, and sports, offers a powerful tool for fostering common experiences and building shared identities. The forum emphasizes that stories can create connections across differences, cultivate empathy, and remind us of our shared humanity.

4. How does the forum illustrate the concept of pluralism in action?

The forum features examples of individuals and organizations actively implementing pluralistic approaches to solve real-world problems. These examples range from peacebuilding efforts in conflict zones to promoting economic inclusion and supporting youth of color.

5. What is the significance of the Future Caucus highlighted in the forum?

The Future Caucus, comprised of young legislators from across the political spectrum, demonstrates the power of building relationships and finding common ground to achieve policy goals. Their bipartisan efforts offer a hopeful example of bridging political divides and modernizing legislative practices.

6. How does the forum discuss the role of technology, specifically AI, in shaping democracy?

The forum acknowledges AI’s potential to both exacerbate societal divisions and contribute to solutions. Speakers emphasize the importance of being conscious co-designers of AI systems, ensuring they promote pluralism, inclusivity, and the common good.

7. What is the key takeaway message from the forum regarding individual responsibility in a democracy?

The forum emphasizes that strengthening democracy requires active participation and engagement from each citizen. It encourages individuals to embrace curiosity, seek understanding across differences, and actively contribute to building a more inclusive and just society.

8. How does the forum connect the personal stories of participants with broader themes of democracy and pluralism?

By sharing personal narratives of overcoming challenges, embracing diversity, and working towards shared goals, the forum demonstrates how individual experiences connect with broader societal issues. These stories provide relatable and inspiring examples of pluralism in action, encouraging audience engagement and reflection.

Timeline of Events:

This transcript does not contain a chronological narrative of events. Instead, it focuses on the theme of pluralism and features various speakers discussing their experiences and perspectives.

Cast of Characters:

1. Barack Obama: – Former President of the United States. – Founder of the Obama Foundation. – Keynote speaker at the Democracy Forum. – Advocates for pluralism and civic engagement.

2. Eboo Patel: – Founder and President of Interfaith America. – Shared anecdotes about his father-in-law’s American experience and the importance of pluralism. – Believes in the power of cooperation across differences.

3. Finale Doshi-Velez: – Professor of Computer Science at Harvard University. – Develops AI systems to aid human decision-making. – Argues that AI can be designed to promote pluralism rather than division.

4. Monica Guzman: – Senior Fellow for Public Practice at Braver Angels. – Author and podcast host focused on bridging political divides. – Emphasizes the role of curiosity and courage in fostering pluralism.

5. Ana Maria Gonzalez Ferrero: – Peacebuilder working in Colombia. – Amplifies indigenous voices and promotes peacebuilding in communities affected by violence. – Highlights the importance of vulnerability and listening to different perspectives.

6. Justin Archer Burch: – Community leader in the Mississippi Delta. – Works to foster inclusion and economic development for marginalized communities. – Demonstrates how diverse perspectives can lead to better solutions.

7. My Brother’s Keeper Alliance: – Organization focused on supporting boys and young men of color. – Active in Tulsa, where their work has led to increased school enrollment and stronger community relationships. – Illustrates the power of collaboration across sectors to address systemic issues.

8. Leila Zayden: – President and CEO of the Future Caucus. – Moderator for a panel discussion on bipartisanship and collaboration. – Expresses optimism about the future of democracy and the power of young leaders.

9. Brandon Woodard: – Kansas State Representative and member of the Future Caucus. – Openly gay legislator who emphasizes the importance of listening and finding common ground. – Shares examples of bipartisan collaboration in the Kansas legislature.

10. Tori Marie Arnberger (Senator-Elect Blue): – Kansas State Senator-Elect and member of the Future Caucus. – Works closely with Representative Woodard to achieve bipartisan solutions. – Highlights the importance of personal relationships and understanding different perspectives.

11. Shamal Idris: – Runs the world’s largest organization fighting violence (specific organization not mentioned). – Mentioned as an example of someone working to bring together opposing groups for peace.

12. Reina Roberts: – Rising country music star. – Known for blending country music with other genres and pushing boundaries. – Discusses her American experience, the challenges of being a Black woman in country music, and her aspirations to inspire others.

13. Ryan Reynolds: – Actor, entrepreneur, and co-owner of the Wrexham football club. – Star of the documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham.” – Talks about the power of storytelling, emotional investment, community building, and finding redemption through unexpected connections.

14. Ehad Akhtar: – Pulitzer Prize-winning author. – Participated in the closing panel discussion on storytelling and its impact on communities.

15. Rob McElhinney: – Actor and co-owner of the Wrexham football club with Ryan Reynolds. – Featured in the documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham.”

16. Hugh Jackman: – Actor known for his role as Wolverine in the X-Men film series. – Mentioned by Ryan Reynolds in relation to a positive experience with redemption in storytelling.

17. Wesley Snipes: – Actor known for his role as Blade in the Blade film series. – Mentioned by Ryan Reynolds in relation to a positive experience with redemption in storytelling.

18. Celine Dion: – Singer who recorded a song for the film “Deadpool 2.”

19. Ed Sheeran: – Singer-songwriter mentioned by Ryan Reynolds.

20. Walt Whitman: – American poet whose quote about containing multitudes was referenced multiple times throughout the forum.

21. Emile Durkheim: – French sociologist whose definition of common identity was referenced by Barack Obama.

22. Nathan Lane: – Actor mentioned by Ryan Reynolds in a humorous anecdote.

This list comprises the key individuals mentioned in the provided transcript. Each person contributes to the overall conversation about pluralism and its role in strengthening democracy.

When we open our eyes every day and look around, we see our home. Home is where we raise our families and build our relationships, where we go to work and put down roots. It’s where our identities and beliefs take shape, where the things we do matter, and where we feel like we belong. In so many ways, our home, whether it’s a place we live or just a community we feel connected to, defines who we are and the future we imagine for ourselves. And yet for too many people today, home isn’t everything we want it to be.

They feel like the life they want for themselves and their families is slipping away, and they’re worried about the future. Meanwhile, our public discourse has gotten more toxic, driving us apart and making it harder to recognize ourselves in each other. Our planet, the home we all share, has become less hospitable as the climate crisis has grown. And too many people feel like our institutions can’t or won’t deliver on the promise of a better life, and that participation isn’t worth the effort. It’s enough to make anyone feel hopeless.

But as daunting as these challenges may be, I’m still convinced that it’s within our power to make progress, to build a better home for all of us. We can encourage more participation, create more opportunity, and bring people closer together. We can strengthen our local, national, and global communities and build new institutions for a modern world. We can engage more people on the issues that matter most. We can find joy and show grace even in the face of real differences and serious obstacles.

We can tell a better story and lift each other up. And when we do, the actions we take will grow and spread, creating a new culture of democracy and positive change until the home we live in starts to look a little more like the one we imagined. That’s what bring change home means, and I hope you’ll help us do it. How can we strengthen the forces of pluralism in an increasingly diverse world? That’s what this democracy forum is all about.

We’re here because we believe that humanity can bridge our differences and make better choices, that we can see each other and listen to each other and imagine each other’s hardships and pain. And if we’re right, that a renewed commitment to democracy is a key ingredient to solving all our other big challenges, then we have so much more work to do. Welcome to the stage, Obama Foundation CEO, Valerie Jarrett. Well, hello, everyone. How are you guys doing?

I am so thrilled that 650 attendees from more than a dozen countries have come together here in Chicago to share ideas, inspiration, but also learn to have those hard conversations that lead to lasting connections. And to the thousands of you who are joining us virtually, who are tuned in from around the world, welcome to the Obama Foundation’s 3rd annual democracy forum. I wanna begin by thanking our board chairman, Marty Nesbitt, and all the members of our board who have joined us here today or who are watching online. Your indefatigable enthusiasm for providing oversight and support to the Obama Foundation is a big reason we can all be here today, and it is already already making a lasting difference to the next generation of leaders and their communities. So those of you who are on our board, please stand and be recognized.

So at the Obama Foundation, our mission is simply to inspire, empower, and connect the next generation of leaders to change their world. We are in the hope business, and yet, especially right now, we know hope requires audacity. It requires resilience. It requires being grounded in the reality of the challenges we face, and it requires us to take the long view. And one of the most fundamental challenges that are facing us today is the deep division that we experience every time we feel disconnected from our neighbors and fellow citizens.

Every time our dialogue turns to anger or personal insults, and every time we distrust the other side, whoever that may be. This didn’t happen overnight. The threads that weave us together for a common purpose had been fraying for a very long time, gradually at first and accelerating more every year. The erosion of public trust, the drying up of goodwill, the need to label those with whom we disagree as our enemies. President Obama long ago saw the rising need in this country and around the world to recommit ourselves to the core principles of democracy.

That is the purpose of the annual democracy forum. Now plenty of others have a lot to say when it comes to current news, but our role here at the foundation is different. Ours is a generational task, and it is a hopeful one. We are committed to helping new leaders build the muscle needed to confront our collective challenges, both the urgent needs of today and those will that will arise in the decades that follow. That’s one reason why when we started this foundation, we prioritized investing in the promise of people, because we knew that solutions to the most pressing challenges of our time lie with this next generation of leaders, several of whom you will see highlighted here today.

Often, our work is very hard because whoever said change was easy. But without hard work, the arc of the moral universe does not bend towards justice. Thunderbolts of progress always result are always a result of decades of hard work, and our work of building a better democracy isn’t a problem for young people alone to solve on their own. It’s gonna require all of us to reflect on how we can adapt and do more to listen to both our neighbors, strangers, build coalitions, live together with mutual respect even when we disagree fundamentally. Last night, I spoke with a mom who shared that throughout the last election cycle, she spoke with her daughter in terms of we versus them.

She told me now she uses we and we with the intention of modeling for her daughter that we are all in this together. I know from my personal experience that this work is not easy. When I was in government, whether it was in city hall here in Chicago or the White House, I saw that bringing people together with opposing viewpoints to get stuff done was really hard, but it was necessary and it was important. I learned to listen most closely to those with whom I disagree vehemently, regardless of the decibel of their voices. During the Obama administration, for example, I worked very closely with Mark Holden, the general counsel of Koch Industries, to try to find common ground on elements of criminal justice reform.

Now we didn’t agree with Koch Industries on just about anything, but this is why it is such a good example of where strange bedfellows can drive progress on important issues if we focus on where we agree and learn to disagree respectfully. That’s why we’ve invited you here, to learn from other leaders about how they practice listening, respectfully disagreeing, while all the time committed to searching for common ground. That is pluralism. We’re focused on pluralism today because it is at the very heart of our democracy, and our very heightened environment of polarization makes this work actually more important than ever. So I join you all today with a full and hopeful spirit because I’m inspired by your commitment to do the hard work to make the world a better place.

Please check out our toolkit about today on abama.org. You’ll find a collection of resources and strategies and actions for you to take the next steps to put pluralism into practice in your own lives, in your own communities. Our toolkit represents some of the best thinking and time tested strategies that leaders here today will be sharing with you. We have an incredible day planned for you with lightning talks by experts and leaders, panel discussions, breakout sessions. We’re gonna explore everything from why pluralism matters to the power of culture to create connections.

We’ll have the opportunity to practice the tools and techniques that your peers have successfully used across the country and around the world. Now as many of you know, we’re also building a permanent physical home for discussions just like this at the Obama Presidential Center on the south side of Chicago. Exactly. Whoo. South side.

And I wanna just give you a quick update because in the spring of 2,026, the full 19 acre campus will open as a laboratory for positive change, an economic engine for the city of Chicago, and importantly, a beacon of hope for the world. I’m proud of not just what we are building, but how we are building it, actively engaging local partners and the surrounding community and the planning since day 1. It will be an extraordinary place unlike anything you have experienced, and I hope you will all be a part of it. So let me leave you with a final thought as we begin. Democracies are only as strong as we, the people, demand that they be.

Throughout our history, we have used the power to reimagine our institutions, to make them responsive to today’s challenges, and to rebuild society in a way that gives more and more people a better life. So I wanna thank you for your stewardship of our democracy and awesome task and responsibility. I know you’re gonna leave here today more inspired and more empowered and more unconnected more connected and ready to take on the challenges that await us. Enjoy the day. Thank you so much, everybody.

Please welcome to the stage senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, doctor Rachel Kleinfeld. So let me start by stating the absolute obvious. Americans have just been through a really tough election, and so have a lot of other places around the world. Many folks are not excited to find common ground with people they fear wanna end their democracies or erase their identities. And so talking about pluralism makes some people a little wary.

It sounds a bit too close to let’s all just get along. That is not what I wanna talk about here today. I want to invite us into a very different conversation, a conversation about how we create major change, radical change, that can be sustained over time in diverse communities. Pluralism is one response to diversity, but it’s not the only one. In fact, it’s not even the main one.

Historically, there have been 2 others that are much more common. The first is hierarchy. The strongest group gets to keep enough political and social power that they set the rules for society. Everyone else kind of fits themselves around the dominant group or fits themselves into it. The other frequent response is repression.

That may mean mass expulsion. It may even mean mass killing. And it can certainly involve changing rules on immigration or making some identities illegal, such as criminalizing gay life. So I wanna pause there for just a moment. Having one group dominate or mass repression are the 2 most common ways to deal with diversity.

Pluralism is the third response. Pluralists say there should not be one dominant identity. Instead, people of different backgrounds, beliefs, idea sets should all be treated equally. That legal and social tolerance is a bare minimum, but most pluralists take it to level 2. They say, pluralism means that engaging across difference makes society stronger.

Now it’s easy for some people to believe they’re natural pluralists. All my life, I’ve loved different foods, different cultures, different peoples. The hard work is not that. The hard work is whether we can engage when we feel threatened. That’s hardwired to be tough because humans evolved over the last 300000 years mostly in tribes of pastoralists or hunters.

And in that time, the hormone oxytocin grew with us to support forming strong bonds with us. And that very same hormone makes you aggressive toward outsiders. So in other words, we’re not naturally altruistic nor are we naturally competitive. We’re naturally helpful to our tribe and defend against other tribes. So the issue really is how do you define your tribe?

Who’s your us? My tribe involves a lot of difference, but there is a them. It excludes people who don’t like engaging across difference. If I meet someone who doesn’t like new experiences, doesn’t wanna try new foods, doesn’t wanna go to new countries, frankly, my first instinct is to look down my nose at them. And if I’m honest, there’s a big group of people I just don’t like engaging with.

I would be more comfortable if people who didn’t like difference were not a part of my community. Now how ironic is that? We need to admit we have these instincts too because the only way you make the other side disappear from your community is one of those 2 non pluralist strategies, repression or dominance. And that is precisely what many people fear. People fear that progressives well, progressives worry that traditional thinkers wanna reassert the traditional hierarchy.

And traditionalists worry that progressives also want dominance, but that they just wanna create a new hierarchy, one that turns the other one upside down. In the US, for instance, putting white Christian men on the bottom and everyone else on top. And people also worry about repression for pretty good reason. They look at the closing of schools or businesses during COVID, and they think it shows progressives also want everyone else to conform if they get the chance. They feel the quick shifts in social rules on language and behavior mean that progressives wanna silence people who don’t agree or push people who hold different views out of their organizations, especially out of universities, which are essential to life chances.

And if we’re honest, there are plenty of people who do feel that way because it can feel existential. It can feel like you’re defending yourself against getting erased. But in a polarized democracy, that instinct to win big and force everyone else to accept your beliefs can never create change that lasts. Your side changes things when you hold power. When the other side gets power, they erase every gain you’ve just made and maybe then some.

And so that brings me to the 3rd level of pluralism. Level 1, treating all groups equally. Level 2, believing difference is positive and makes us stronger. Engaging with people across difference in order to act together is level 3. And in its fullest conception, pluralism involves finding the goals you share with very different people and building lasting majorities that can work together to improve society.

Now this requires curiosity. If I believe everyone who votes differently than me is racist, sexist, misogynist, intent on destroying my various selfhood, there’s no point. I’m not going to engage with those people because nothing I wanna get done involves authoritarianism, racism, or misogyny. But are those assumptions correct? Could the other side be more complex than I’m willing to give them credit for?

Could I be more complex than they’re willing to give me credit for? Let’s be really concrete. I’m privileged in many, many ways, and that gives me some added comfort dealing with difference. But everyone’s got a hard no somewhere. And I’m a pretty visibly Jewish woman who works on political violence quite a lot.

So I’m not saying, go have a chat with that Neo Nazi waving the Jews will not replace us sign, he may not be so bad. There is a line where it becomes impossible to engage. Isaiah Berlin, who’s my favorite philosopher, acknowledged, the pluralist does not have to accept ideas that are hostile to the pluralist society’s existence or to the pluralist’s existence. You have to have some commonality on democracy and the rule of law. You can only accept the diversity of ideas within that framework.

But within that, there’s actually a ton more room than most of us acknowledge. So I’m not telling you go out and engage with people you fear, who wanna use violence or intimidation. What I’m saying is don’t assume everyone who votes for a party or a policy is that flag waving Neo Nazi. Don’t assume all party supporters are the same as the party leaders. If people are arrayed on a spectrum, sure, don’t go after that hard 10% at the edge.

But what about the next 10? What about the next 10? Better yet, don’t array everyone on a single line. Most people are much more eclectic than that. It flattens complex identities to just string them out this way.

What if someone makes a sexist remark? Do I write them off on everything? Sometimes I want to, but maybe I agree with them on climate change. Maybe they agree with me on raising wages. What if they agree with me on a lot more?

That’s hard. Some people love engaging across difference, and I do not. I would much rather be home with my kids or my cats. I push myself because I wanna do big things. If we refuse to accept this world as it is and we live in a diverse society, we cannot shrink the coalition of people who might be on our side in important fights.

Wherever possible, we need to work for addition, not subtraction. That’s pluralism. And pluralism can achieve remarkable, almost impossible things. When we moved from those small tribes to complex societies about 5000 years ago, those societies were authoritarian. From the Middle East to Asia to Latin America, a small group of leaders, usually kept in place by religious societies, kept the mass of humanity mired in poverty and often in slavery.

Those early societies gave way to monarchies and colonialism, which was frankly not a whole lot better. Democracy is a tiny blip in historical time. Pluralistic democracy is even infinitesimally smaller. And yet, in that tiny space with all their flaws, that blink in time has brought the greatest wealth, education, rights for women, rights for children, minorities, of any system that has ever existed on Earth. It’s true that recent years have been pretty hard on a lot of us.

And it is also true that the last 50 years have been the best time to be alive for the majority of people on the planet since the world began. In just the years since I was in high school, the world ended a brutal totalitarian dictatorship, pulled billions of people out of poverty, educated millions of girls, and violence has fallen in every possible way, from civil war to homicide. And much of that was because of people engaged in the conscious work of pluralism. For example, millions of lives in Africa have been saved from AIDS by PEPFAR funding, a US program that only came to be because the rock star Bono, a pretty liberal guy, teamed up with Republican senator Jesse Helms, known as a fairly reactionary conservative. That reduction in global violence?

Well, Shamal Idris is here and he runs the world’s biggest organization to fight violence. And he will explain later that a lot of that work requires bringing people together who would be the spoilers for peace, the people who would fight against it, and engaging with them to get them on board. And then, over the last 10 or 15 years, all this progress has slowed. Pluralism says building durable change requires pulling together unlikely allies, creating broad majorities that don’t disappear when the political winds blow the other way. But many people didn’t get taught this tradition.

We started living online. We lost a lot of the skills needed to handle the friction of real relationships, just as our societies became more diverse and we needed this more than ever. And meanwhile, we started teaching the world to scan for threats and see those threats as so dire to people’s sense of self that even classroom discussions started making people feel unsafe. That mindset makes us feel more brittle. It’s the opposite of building resilience.

No surprise, anxiety and mental health issues have skyrocketed, particularly for progressives, particularly for liberal young women. That’s not progress. That’s paralysis. If we spend all our time internally policing whether someone’s using the right language, we cripple the organizations we need to do their missions. As Daisiyah Price, the DEI director at the School of Social Work at Michigan explained, social justice is not screaming and fighting and yelling at people.

We can’t increase justice if we’re creating ever smaller, ever purer groups that agree. Instead, we have to make room for complexity, for half agreement, for give and take. Now that does not mean giving ground on your core values. It means engaging to explore where you might actually have agreement on core values, often unexpected agreement that you can build on. In the US, the Respect for Marriage Act solidified the right to gay and interracial marriage.

It only took us until 2 years ago. That was hardly a time of bipartisan love and affection, but it had overwhelming support. Over a 100 extra votes in the house, 2 thirds of the senate voted for it. That’s a lot of people who disagree on just about everything, but were willing to make it the law of the land that a family was what you made it. Now that bill had failed in 5 previous congresses.

It passed only when supporters really engaged the religious groups that had disagreed before and found ways to answer their concerns while still robustly supporting the right to marry who you want. It is this realization that change is possible that makes it absolutely imperative for those of us who are change makers to be serious about how to get from here to there. For those of us who wanna see a better society, we must engage with those different than us and find out where we agree. That’s how we make our agenda a majority agenda. Pluralism is not something we can leave to the experts.

It’s not something we can donate to others to do. It requires each of us to get involved with the messiness of real life. And the reward is the better world that we all get to conjure into being. Thank you so much. Good luck today.

Please welcome to the stage, founder and president of Interfaith America, Ebbu Patel. Smilharq Manarrahim, the best speech of my wedding was given by my father-in-law. He was a little nervous. He spoke straight from his heart, and he told the story of coming to this country as a Muslim from India with less than a $100 in his pocket, getting a degree in engineering from a state university, deciding to devote his career to public service by working for housing authorities in different cities, And with his wife raising 4 daughters who each chose service professions. 1 in medicine, 1 in education, 1 in philanthropy, and the one I married in civil rights law.

I love my homeland, my father-in-law said in his conclusion, his voice cracking a little bit. But I know that my life, my career, my family, my story, it only takes place in the United States of America. It’s the quintessential American story of pride in your identity, progress for your family and community, and a sense of patriotic duty to build a nation where people cooperate across their differences to lift everyone up. That was 2003, a year before then senate candidate Obama gave his speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention. I have to say, when I was listening to that address, I was wondering to myself, did senate candidate Obama take a line or 2 from my father-in-law?

I actually based an entire organization off of the spirit in both of those speeches. An organization called Interfaith America, an organization devoted to the promise of American pluralism. In the most religiously diverse nation in human history, the most religiously devout nation in the Western Hemisphere, indeed, the world’s first attempt at religiously diverse democracy, We have to make sure that our varied faiths are sources of inspiration and bridges of cooperation. We need to spread the promise of American pluralism to every corner of this country. And actually, the promise is simple.

Respect for all identities, relationships between different communities, cooperation on concrete projects to serve the common good. That’s what pluralism is. Respect, relate, cooperate. We were so proud to partner with the Obama White House in 2011 on a major initiative called the president’s interfaith campus and community service challenge. We impacted 100 of campuses during that initiative, dozens of communities.

And because of the momentum of that era, the work continues and grows. It’s now over a 1000 campuses, 100 of communities, dozens of companies. Here is one example. At the University of Wisconsin, where a Muslim student group partnered with Jewish Social Services to pack meals for refugee families who are moving to Madison. Listen, every campus can do this.

Every campus can be a model of pluralism, a place where people of diverse identities and divergent ideologies cooperate across their differences to lift everyone up. Let me tell you something. Here’s a fact about diversity. It’s not just the differences you like. It’s not just samosas and sushi.

It’s often the differences you don’t like. And that is the genius of American pluralism as my friend, Rachel Kleinfeld just spoke about. American pluralism is about recognizing we can disagree on some fundamental things and still work together on other fundamental things. That’s how you build a diverse democracy. That’s how you have a nation.

Over the years, at so many Interfaith America events, I had the opportunity to share the story of my father-in-law, that story that he told at our wedding of pride and progress and patriotic duty to serve others. And then one day in early 2017, it was I was on a campus sharing this story. Somebody stood up and said, you have to stop saying that. This is not the time for pluralism. It’s the time for the resistance.

This is not the moment to talk about cooperation. This is the time to defeat our oppressors. But I actually think a nation only moves forward when it is built on pride and progress and a sense of patriotic duty. And I don’t think of America as a battlefield where we defeat our fellow citizens. I think of America as a potluck supper where we invite everyone’s contribution.

A potluck works best when a diverse group of people brings their delicious dishes inspired by their identities to a common table. The magic happens when one person’s crusty bread recipe from Lithuania meets another person’s spicy dip from Lebanon. And you realize something, your best dish is actually made better by somebody else’s best dish. Distinctive identities and creative combinations, family stories shared in enriching conversations, cooperation across difference so that the community takes care of the common space. Here’s the most beautiful thing about a potluck.

No president, no general, no mayor, no governor can command you to do it. We do it ourselves. It is the ultimate democratic form. It is the way people build a nation. It’s exactly what happened in Nashville.

At this event of the team up project, a partnership between Interfaith America, Catholic Charities, the YMCA, and Habitat For Humanity. It was a space where people from different identity groups brought their best dish, the pride of their identity to a common space, built community, and shared what it was that made them a city. Every city can do this. We can do it across the whole country. That’s the spirit of American pluralism, where diversity is a strength, where identity is a source of pride, where cooperation overcomes division, where faith is a bridge, and everyone is a contributor.

Thank you. Please welcome to the stage Harvard University professor, Finale Doshi Velez. Hi, everyone. It is such a pleasure to be here. So I’m a Harvard professor in computer science.

I develop AIs specifically designed to help people make decisions, whether it’s managing their depression or humanitarian crisis negotiation. Now I wish I could stand here and tell you that I had the magical AI solution to everything. Right? And y’all know that that don’t exist. Improving our democracy is gonna require hard work on multiple fronts.

That said, I think we also know that AI has played a role in fragmenting how we see the world. So what I am here to tell you is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Because you see, AIs, they play to win. But we, humans, are the ones who design the game. And the last thing we need is for AIs to be continuing a game that emphasizes our differences and narrows who we are.

Because let’s be clear, while for the next 3 minutes and, 56 seconds or so, I’m your AI professor, that’s not all of me. I went to a high school for government and international studies. And the most important thing that I learned in my aerospace undergrad was not the rocket science, but the fact that if the team don’t work together, the plane falls out of the sky. I’m a mother, a mediator, a martial artist, smacking the crap out of a kicking bag but not picking flowers because that’s my faith’s practice of compassion. I teach at my kids’ Sunday school, and I imagine brighter futures as an aspiring fantasy novelist.

There is no one category that contains me. And if I were to lean over to all of you, like the great blue caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland, but without the hookah, I’m a computer scientist. I’m always precise on the details here. Lean over like the great blue caterpillar and ask, who are you? As Walt Whitman wrote, I, in this case, we, contain multitudes.

And by recognizing the multitudes in ourselves, we can see the multitudes in each other. We can find refuge in our commonalities and wisdom in our differences. Pluralism. Now this, friends, is a game that’s worth winning. And yet, we find ourselves more polarized than ever before.

But what if what if what if our platforms were designed to elevate constructive dialogue and critical engagement. Can you imagine instead of hit like and subscribe, you were told, please leave a thoughtful comment or join a small group discussion, and the content that generated the most meaningful conversation that resulted in users exploring diverse viewpoints in future, that was the content that was elevated. Actually, what might be true now if we had designed the game that way in the first place? But we have opportunities. Even in these early days of generative AI, we can feel I don’t know.

How should we call it? A temptation to disengage from our fellow humans. To take comfort in AI companions who are always available and never question us, to offload relationship labor and homogenize everything that is so precious about each of your personalities By asking an AI to write a thank you note or even a condolence letter. Is this the game that we want AIs playing to win? I don’t think so.

We need AIs helping us do hard tasks and encouraging our human to human connection. What if that AI led you through the reflection required to write your own condolence? Manage logistics and matches and everything else so that you and your friends and maybe some friends to be could feel safe talking about your real life demons, perhaps while battling fake ones in your favorite online game. And as organizations, what if AIs were used to empower instead of just screen or filter? Instead of a thumbs up or a thumbs down on that housing or rental or loan application, AIs helped the individuals, the people fill out those dang forms correctly in the first place.

AI is set to impact billions of lives. And the demands that we make right now, they matter. Us experts, we’re working on ways to convert your words into design and math and code. I’m part of a working group who is advocating exactly for this process. But what we need to do is decide on the game.

When it comes to recognizing our multitudes, what should count as a score? How do we want to measure the state of ourselves, the state of our communities, and the state of our union? My friends, this choice is ours. And as leaders, this choice is yours. In my last 10.8 seconds, let me leave you with this.

You are not simply consumers of AI. You can demand to be co designers of the game. So for all of us, let’s create games that are worth winning. Thank you. Please welcome to the stage senior fellow for public practice at Braver Angels, Monica Guzman.

Pluralism craves questions. Who am I? I am a bridge builder in a time of walls. I’m an author, the host of a podcast all about how we can disagree about politics without losing heart. And I plant my feet at an organization where tens of thousands of people all across the political spectrum are working not to change people’s views on the issues but to change people’s views on each other so we can take on the issues at all.

I am an immigrant, a US Mexico citizen, dual. There’s me at 17 at my mom’s naturalization ceremony. When she and my dad cast their first votes on US soil later that year, I learned what else I am, the proud liberal daughter of conservative parents. And I am so grateful because thanks to them, I am the inheritor of a radical vision for a constitutional democratic republic that was once a laughingstock and is now about to mark its 250th year on this planet. And I have never been more proud to call myself an American, land of the free enough to think differently and home of the brave enough to question even ourselves.

Pluralism craves questions, but questions cannot live without courage. Both the courage to listen to yourself, to come clean about who and what you don’t really know and the courage to let a question breathe. To not just accept the assumption that comes to settle it, but to notice the assumption, learn from the assumption, and dare to leave the question like a door in your mind open. Instead of just telling you about all this though, can we practice it? 100 of my podcast listeners, conservative, liberal, everything in between, sent in their deep down, honest questions about where we go from here.

I’m going to share 10 questions, just the questions, from 10 different people. Some may be hard to hear, but all are echoing in the hearts and minds of your fellow Americans who hold wildly different views on things that we need to work on together. Whoever is underrepresented in your life will be overrepresented in your imagination. How do you replace what you imagine with what is real? You ask.

How do I talk to those I love on the conservative side when I am feeling deep betrayal, anger, and sadness? I know there is no enemy here, but I don’t know how to bridge these feelings to have a conversation with them. How can I share how committed I am to the type of leadership that will enact the kinds of policies I want while assuring my friends on the progressive side that I care about them and I want them to be free to live out their values as well? What is their response to the agonizing feeling that our own and others’ lives and safety are now on the line? Do they actually wish the rest of us harm?

Based on what the other side was saying, my sons believe that I am racist, fascist, etcetera. I am bruised and hurt. How do we bridge that one? How do we distinguish between those who hold different political priorities and those who are legitimately dangerous to our person or to the country we love? How do we take each other’s fears seriously?

How do we combat disinformation and not have those efforts suppressed, not have those efforts dismissed as suppression of free speech? How do we discuss the truth when we’re told the truth is misinformation? I don’t think hate is the problem, but fear of what and who we don’t know and too little talk of the things we really deeply love. What can we do as a nation to turn this around? How can we work together to make sure all people are treated with dignity?

Pluralism craves questions and dies without courage. If any of these questions stay with you, I hope you’ll keep listening. If more questions knock, whether here or out there, I hope you’ll let them in. More than anything, I hope you’ll find your own ways to stay curious. Our undivided questions hold more answers than we think.

Thank you. So how do we practice pluralism today? While it’s a foundational principle of democracy, change makers around the world use elements of pluralism to solve complicated problems. They’re activating communities toward a common goal by valuing diversity and ensuring all viewpoints are heard and respected. And they’re creating lasting change in the process.

We see this work being done in Colombia, where Ana Maria Gonzalez Ferrero is helping to amplify indigenous voices in communities that have experienced violence. She engages them in intensive peace building, which has helped rebuild trust among groups previously in conflict. I think one of the most difficult things in life is to confront somebody that you know that is not going to like what you say or you it’s not going to understand you or it’s going to feel defensive because it takes a lot of strength to be vulnerable and to recognize that some of your points of view or the ways you’ve been doing things in the past could admit some correction. And that’s what we get when we hear the opinion and the way of thinking of others. In the Mississippi Delta, Justin Archer Burch fosters inclusion for those who’ve been left out of economic development.

He brings together disparate communities around better opportunities and outcomes for all. Diverse perspectives are always very interesting here within the Mississippi Delta. We have some people who really lean into the economic imperative of this work. Then there’s others who really lean into the moral imperative of the work, really thinking through social justice issues while another faction may be thinking more in terms of direct outputs or, putting numbers on the board, and there’s no reason why these two conversations have to be mutually exclusive. Both bring good ideas to the table, and sometimes when they’re paired together, we come up with a even better strategy than maybe we do when we’re siloed into our own factions.

And in Tulsa, the My Brother’s Keeper Alliance focuses the community across sectors to create lasting support and pathways for boys and young men of color, which has resulted in increased school enrollment and more trusting relationships within communities. The work in Tulsa is so important, and pluralism is an essential approach to this work because we have 100,491 youth who are depending on adults to get this right. We can’t wait for people to come to our side of the aisle or to agree with us completely. Ideology can’t stand in the way of the common interest of every child having all the opportunity and access to succeed. We created an entire city department that’s focused on supporting people so that they can feel like they belong in their neighborhoods and that they feel heard by city leaders.

These examples from across the world share a common theme, that by remaining open to new ideas, by designing processes and approaches that allow us to build understanding and unearth our common goals, our differences actually become our strengths. This is pluralism that delivers real results. This is pluralism in action. Please welcome to the stage president and CEO of the future caucus, Leila Zayden. My name is Leila Zayden, and I like to say that I am the most hopeful person in the room, which is, I know, an extremely audacious thing to say when president Barack Obama is also in that room, but I don’t see him in the front row, so I’m gonna claim that mantle.

Please don’t tell him. And here’s why. I’m hopeful because of the work that I have had a front row seat to at the organization I lead, Future Caucus. For those of you who have never heard of Future Caucus, we are a nonprofit organization, and we’ve built the largest cross partisan network of young elected officials in the country. We work with more than 1800 state legislators, members of congress, to help them build relationships across divides.

We help them work on common sense policy solutions together. And together, they are building a healthier democracy. So over the past 10 years, we’ve helped launch a future caucus chapter in 34 states. And I’m just so inspired by everything that these young leaders have accomplished. One data point that I wanna share with you all before you get into the conversation is that last year, 25% of state legislators were millennial or Gen z, but they were responsible for more than 40% of all bipartisan legislation that got signed into law.

And so there is proof that the next generation of leaders is already overperforming when it comes to building coalitions and to getting things done. And so it is my great pleasure to introduce 2 of those amazing leaders to pull back the curtain and talk to you about what pluralism in action actually looks like. Representative Brandon Woodard and representative Tory Marie Blue, now senator elect Tory Marie Blue. Please join me in welcoming them. Well, welcome.

Welcome. Welcome. Alright. So before we get started, I told them you’re gonna pull back the curtain about what pluralism in action actually means. I’d love for you to introduce yourselves, except I’m actually gonna flip the script.

I want you to introduce each other. You know each other. Introduce each other. Alright? And, let’s start with you, Rep Woodard.

Alright. Well, no pressure there. This is my friend, and I think it’s important that you hear politicians say this is my friend from across the aisle. But this is one of the times I actually get to say it and mean it. This is my friend, when I met her at the time was representative Tori Marie Arndburger, and is now, 6 years later, senator elect Blue, and we have served on committees together, gotten to know each other.

I actually remember Tori the most from when she introduced herself on one of the committees I was on the 1st day, where she took a piece of paper, you’ll imagine the state of Kansas is a rectangle, she folded it in half, and then folded it in half again, and pointed to the center and said, look, everyone. That center point, that’s my hometown of Great Bend. So I’ve always been able to remember where she’s from. So super happy to be here. Well, thank you.

Hi, everybody. This is my work husband is what I call him. This is Brandon Woodard. He was first elected in 2018, and he was the 1st openly gay representative openly gay legislator elected in Kansas. Recently, he was just elected to the minority leader position, so congrats to you on that.

Yes. Give him a round of applause. Thank you. One thing about Brandon that I admire most is that he listens. And when you disagree, you he still will listen, and I walk away learning something new from him every single day.

Aw. Well, it’s just so obvious that you 2 share a friendship, a real connection. You’re actually friends. In case people couldn’t get that from your intros of each other, I did come prepared with a picture that I brought today to show just how much you enjoy being around each other. So it’s not fake.

You do really have a friendship. But when it comes to your time in the legislature, it’s not just about being nice or, civility. It’s about getting things done. Right? You have constituents who elected you, to deliver results.

And so talk to us a little bit about how this approach, this pluralism that you 2 are are practicing day in and day out, is actually helping you solve real problems for your communities. So Brandon and I have served on numerous committees together all the way to where I’m the vice chair and he’s the ranking minority member on a committee. There’s been a couple times that we’ve been on the same side, and there’s been a couple times that we have not been on the same side. But in the end, here’s I have a couple stories, but one of them is there was one time in a committee meeting where I was a deciding vote, and I voted against Brandon on one of his amendments. Afterwards, I could tell how crushed he was.

It was something very poor, really important and impersonal to him. And I said, let’s let’s get out of here real quick. Let’s just leave this building. And so we went across the street, blew off some steam real quick right before our next committee meeting. Those are that’s a situation that I think that not a lot of people see that happen.

Another one is I was majority whip. We have a super majority in Kansas. There are times that votes aren’t one side versus another. There’s we’re even torn within our own party. And so there was one instance on a bill that I went to Brandon, I said, I’m short.

I need votes. Do you where are you at on your side? And he was able to whip up some votes as well, and we were able to get a bipartisan bill passed. Those are situations that I don’t think a lot of people see. But because of our friendship, because of our relationship, we were able to get good policy passed in the great state of Kansas.

And it it’s all because of work that we’re doing in the future caucus. Yeah. I mean, I think back to one of the first times I actually met with representative Blue. I was, asking a chairman for a committee hearing on a bill that would repeal and actually put into state law protections for LGBT Kansans. And so the chair said, you know, I’ll consider hearing the bill, but first, as I would tell any new member, I want you to go meet with every member of the opposite party on the committee.

So we sat down, we talked about the bill, and it was very interesting for me because, you know, you go in with the mindset that these people are on a different position. They they’re not gonna agree with you on anything, And it was really comforting to have Tory truly sit down and listen and be like, okay. So what does this do, and how does this impact the different parts of the state? And ever since then, it’s led to this friendship. And I think there’s so many I can think of so many different examples in the state house where it is truly the 2 of us just looking across the room and being like, wait.

We’ve got this. And so I’m definitely gonna miss having her in our chamber as she goes to the dark side, the senate, but I’m really looking forward to, that, and I there’s so many moments where we’ve had those opportunities to be on the same page. I know that she’ll we’ll be able to walk across the rotunda to the senate, have the same sorts conversations, and hopefully inspire the other folks in our future caucus in Kansas to do the same. So I just wanna point out, I know we did not discuss this earlier, but I we just had leadership elections on Monday, and I was cleaning out my desk on the house floor. And as I’m cleaning it out, I have lots of notes that we had pages run back and forth to each other from Brandon.

And it would say anything from, hope you’re having a good day today, representative Woodard, to to, you know, making a comment about my outfit or do you have lunch plans later? Stuff like that. And we I saved them. So so when, when you move up in life, I can say, remember when you handwrote me the these notes? So Well and that’s, you know, such a beautiful example because I think what you both have described is this notion of being able to complicate the narrative.

Right? Not hold assumptions about what the other person believes. And that opening has created pathways for you both to sit down and talk with each other and actually find opportunities to work on on policy together, things that your constituents need. It strikes me that there’s a ripple effect to that, that it’s not just isolated to the legislation or the things that the 2 of you are working on, but that ultimately you’re changing the culture of policy making, both for people inside the legislature, maybe people who engage with the legislature outside in Kansas. So talk to us a little bit about how.

Right? Like, how do you see yourselves doing that modernization, of how things are done, of changing the culture? And do you think it would work as well if if really it was just one or the other of you that was really taking the charge on this culture change? Yeah. You know, I got elected and I something I’ve left out in our our introduction is that, when I first got elected, I was I ran for office when I was 27.

I got elected at 28. At the time, I was the youngest democrat in the legislature, and Tory was the youngest republican. And I think you quickly realize you get elected, and, of course, the people in your caucus are on your team, are supposed to be. But hearing from members of my own caucus talk about why you know, asking questions about why we need to invest in higher education because back in my day, we mowed lawns to pay for tuition. Right?

And you could just immediately find those moments of kind of, you know, making eyes across the room with the other younger folks, to be like, that’s not how it works anymore. Like, let’s we’ve got to go educate, you know, the the folks on these issues. And I think because of that, we’re able to collectively work together to address issues that young folks in Kansas care about. We are, in January, getting our 1st legislative pay raise since 1972. We make $8,000 a year.

That makes it really tough for people that are not independently wealthy or retired to be able to step up and serve. That would not have happened if it weren’t for the 30 plus of us in the future caucus saying, we can’t afford to continue doing this. We have our own lives and families and careers to attend to. So we’re able to modernize the legislature, but also change the culture about normalizing. And, you know, we hear all the time at the federal level these stories about how when they didn’t fly home every weekend, members of congress, they would spend the weekends together and have dinner.

We do that every single day in the state house. And even for the folks that drive back home every night, they still take time to grab lunch or do whatever else. So all all of that to say is really I couldn’t I’m 1 out of a 125 in the house. There’s nothing I can do alone, and there’s nothing I can do with just my caucus. There’s only 37 of us going to this next election or the next cycle, and it takes 63 votes to pass a bill.

So I’ve gotta be able to build a coalition to find friends on my side of the aisle and across the aisle to be able to effectively get anything done because it’s easy to show up in the minority and vote no. But I was elected to do a job and get things done, and that requires building those coalitions. So part of the future caucus is, 1, to to be eligible for the future caucus is I say 40 ish, but I think it’s 45 or below. We don’t check IDs. So we’re yeah.

But it’s it’s bipartisan, around that age frame and below, members. And so in Kansas, we how many do we have? 30 30 plus now. 30 plus now. Plus.

And when I first got into the legislature, I was the youngest at 23, and I don’t even think we had 10, if even. So we’ve really grown our Coalition of the Future Caucus in the state of Kansas. But what I’m getting at is it reminds me how how do you get good policy passed? How do you have a good conversation? How do you have an effective conversation?

And it brings me back to my sorority days when I was recruitment chair, and the motto I drilled was people join people and the organization follows. And what I what I mean by that is we need to get to know each other first as people, as colleagues. I don’t I I let’s talk about policy later. Tell me about your vacation you just went on. How was how were your how was your holidays?

How tell me about your your daughter. I just had a daughter. And it is it amazes me how many people come up to me at the capitol and say, I need to see pictures of her. And so those are the small things that I think that really need to happen. And then when I say the organization follows, that’s when our work follows.

That’s when I can go up. I have a great relationship with Brandon. I have a great relationship with many across the aisle. I can have that conversation, and I can say, look, I don’t understand a lot of this. One thing that you guys hear a lot about is Republican versus Democrat.

At least in the state of Kansas, and I think it’s this way across the board, but it’s really almost a rural versus urban situation. And on paper, Brandon and I are complete opposites. I live in a very rural area. He lives in I don’t even know how many neighbors you have in your apartment complex. Those are things that what what he does, what he has all of the ability to to go do all these fun things in in Kansas City area, I have to drive many, many miles to hopefully go axe throwing in my hometown.

So there are many things that are different. And when we talk about issues, I think you have to get to know the person first, and then you know that you can have a genuine conversation and know I’m not here to judge. I’m not here to throw axes. I’m here to get to know you and help me understand why you support this or why you don’t support this. I think that’s such a good point too.

And I I don’t wanna, like, I don’t want to anyone to feel like, oh, wow. They, like, get along. So, like, we do have our heated policy differences, and there are I think because of the foundation we’ve built of being like, okay. I am going to create space to actually hear where you’re coming from and how this impacts you. There are so many times that I educate new members of our caucus who come in and, like, the other side is the enemy.

They’re awful. They’re evil. And I’m, like, go talk to the people in their district. Because I had the same happen to me. I got elected.

I flipped a seat that had been one party for a long time, and I invited some of my more conservative colleagues to come meet the people in my district, meet the 800 people in my apartment complex. So many. To come hear about the issues that they care about regardless of partisanship. And so I think because of that, we’ve created hopefully a model for the rest of the folks in the legislature where they do look at and not just me and Tori. They look at my relationship with a number of folks on the other side, and same for her.

Because we’re generally people who are there to just communicate information and say this is where we’re at or we’re not, and this is where we disagree versus where we can find common ground. I I just wanna point out, I think I have many towns in my district that have less than 800 people that I represent. But I really one thing I really wanna talk about too that I forgot to mention is in the Kansas Future Caucus, we host events for our members to come and to maybe do a happy hour. Maybe we go do karaoke where you can just have fun. We we’ve done axe throwing.

We’ve done bowling. We’ve done a little bit of everything. We’ve done dinners. And we’ve even had some events where we let our members come, and then we end up texting the old folks and say, come on down. And we get to know each other as a whole caucus, as a whole legislative body, not just as Republicans and Democrats.

Yeah. Well, I mean, that kind of leadership, I think, is absolutely inspiring. It’s why I think I feel hopeful, each and every day. The, importance, right, of this somewhat radical idea that first, you have to build trust with somebody and get to know them before you can get the bill done or do the work and take action and check off your to do list. I think a lot of us suffer from a desire to go straight to the finish.

But this radical notion of, well, what if we got to know each other as people first and how might that improve the quality of what we deliver to our constituencies? I’m just so impressed by by both of you and I’m grateful, for your leadership. I think the country is grateful to have leaders like you and the next generation of of members of the future caucus, carrying that mantle. So please join me in thanking our our amazing panelists one more time. Thank you guys so much.

Thank you. Please find a seat and silence your devices. Programming will begin shortly. Everybody, please give it up for the princess of outlaw country, Reina Roberts. At your worst beyond this, do you want 2 others like the good lord says.

And this, you cross me or one of my girlfriends. Say what you mean, mean what you say. But take your secrets to When When I think of pluralism, I define it as the very essence of life. It’s the ability to value our differences both in opinions and beliefs and religion and background and not only respect it, but value it as a difference that’s necessary. Our relatives, like many others, have been left out of the conversation for far too long.

So this work that we’re doing to bring partnerships between indigenous communities and private sector entities is not one just to bring them into the conversation, but also to give them access to the same resources and livelihood that others have had for generation before. It’s not only the people around me and knowing they want to make a change they believe is right, but also the communities that I know that come together even when they are on opposing sides. Those communities are still places where people find inspiration, where they find hope, and where they find power. And it’s that mindset and that that ideal and appreciation pluralism that I believe that really continues to drive me to make a difference and change in this world. The way that I think about pluralism is as something that forces us to recognize that we all have different values and different perspectives, and there isn’t just one kind of singular will of the people.

I am running an organization called Democracy Next, which is doing work around this idea of citizens assemblies. Citizens assemblies are really different to both elections and other kinds of participatory approaches that many people might be familiar with in 3 ways. One is sortition, meaning randomly selecting decision makers, deliberation, meaning creating structured spaces to weigh evidence and reach shared decisions upon it, and the third is rotation, meaning we take turns being represented and representing others. And my work right now is focused on making sure that these are not just one off events that are dependent on political will, but that they’re established as genuinely democratic institutions, meaning they have a legal basis that allows us to truly shift power and also shift that relationship between people, government, and experts in a constructive way. I am the founder and national director of Uganda Unites.

What we do is we bring young people from different ethnicities, different religions into one’s common space, and then they are able to break stereotypes. They stop to look at each other as different or have hate for each other because of the diversity or where they come from. They are able to see that the challenges they face are very similar in very many ways. These young people are going into that community with their new found friendships from other communities. That inspires me every day to learn the walk.

When I try to define pluralism, it actually brings me back to what America is. Diverse groups of people come together to create something more powerful than any one of us could on our own. And at the people, the organization I run, we are all about taking pluralism and turning it into action in lots of different ways and places. Whenever you put out the invitation for people to meaningfully make change, so many people are willing to donate their time and energy and money and creativity towards creating a better future, and that’s powerful to people. We can’t just be repeating the talking points that we hear political parties saying online.

We’ve gotta actually get in a room and get at the heart of the problem. These conversations, these experiences people have will stick with them and shape their worldview from now on. Please welcome to the stage Pulitzer Prize winning author, Ehad Akhtar, singer songwriter, Rayna Roberts, and actor and entrepreneur, Ryan Reynolds. Alright. Thank you.

Thank you for that warm welcome and, it’s an honor to be here. I’m gonna put my other glasses on so I can actually read what’s on this piece of paper. At that stage, I am too. My wife fucked it the other day. We were talking too much back there.

I was wearing 2 at once because I need stronger readers. Double. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. I look I look, 47 but I’m 48. We’re off to a good start. So this is a this is a decidedly different tone, Ryan.

So Okay. Yeah. So creators I I I won’t embarrass you. Hey. I think No.

No. No. I’m I’m here I’m here to be embarrassed. That’s my job. So this is what I wrote.

Creators create, and in doing so, they spark conversations. Conversations that span place and experience and that reflect but also shape identity. The great French sociologist, Emile Durkheim, I come by my pretension honestly, once defined common identity as the product of common experience. And in a world and in a nation where there is perhaps less and less opportunity for us to be having truly common experiences, it’s perhaps not surprising that common identity seems to be more and more difficult to come by, which is why culture and storytelling can matter even more. Stories are increasingly the common space, one of the last places for common experience.

So today we’re gonna hear from the 2 of you, remarkable artists who are both storytellers fundamentally, and we’ll hear a bit about what your work says about telling stories and making lives committed to creating common experience. And, Ryan, I’m gonna start with you. The first half of that, I was like, I went I met the wrong panel. I know I That’s why I was saying we gotta pivot here just briefly. I’m I’m dead I’m a dead man walking.

No. But, yeah, please carry on. You you flourish in those circumstances. So, Ryan, again, I’m reading from what I wrote here. So you now famously own a football club.

In addition to your various involvements, acting, chief among them, You pulled a lot of your passions together into a documentary series about your team ownership with Rob McElhinney. Close. Yes. I I watched that video in which you tried to get people to pronounce his name. McElhinney.

McElhinney. Thank you. Yeah. Sorry, Reina. It’s called Welcome to Wrexham.

Sorry. Sorry. It’s okay. It’s all good. It’s all good.

It’s called Welcome to Wrexham, and you and Rob buy a struggling but storied Welsh football club, and the series chronicles the community’s relationship to that club, to each other, and to you. It’s really a portrait of a community. You’re telling a global story of local belonging through sports itself, a place for common identity today. What was the journey in Wrexham like for you taking this local town to the world? What did you discover?

Oh, that’s a great question. You know, that that Wrexham, is also Scranton. You know? It’s a it’s a lot of towns. It’s a lot of towns in Northern, New York.

It’s a bit of Syracuse. It’s a bit of, you know, places that have had, you know, a moment in time where there were, you know, boom towns with coal and steel and that kind of stuff, and it fell on hard times. And hard times tend to galvanize more and more hard times. And what what we did was like a a sort of a I mean, the thing I found most fascinating is, like, if you go approaching it with, like, a non interventionist kind of attitude that we are here to tell a story. We don’t wanna be the story, even though we are the story sometimes.

And, you know, I don’t think I could have done it earlier than 40. Not just because men’s frontal lobe doesn’t fully develop until, around that time, But but, because I I just I don’t think I was I embraced sucking and failing much more, in my late thirties and and and forties. And it by doing that, it freed me up, like, in the greatest possible way. And as as someone who has, I know, obviously, I’ve everyone has anxiety. You know, everyone deals with some of that stuff.

And some of us deal with it in the darker ways and it kinda goes off a cliff and it’s a weird, thing. And that has always sometimes kept me in a in within a safety lane, you know, within a keep staying in my lane and not really, stepping out. But then it’s like just fucking get over yourself. Who cares if we go there and it’s, you know, as long as you’re honest. So that’s we went into it that we don’t know.

We are not here to tell anyone how to play football. We are here to tell the story. And there’s a story here because every single human being has a story. And, you know, I was just so touched. People were felt like, why us?

That was everything. The 1st year was, why us? I remember one woman said to Rob and I, nothing good ever happens here and nothing good will ever happen to me. And I just thought like, what a, that is so not true, but also just so that is a wow, that is a statement. And it was very pervasive at the time.

I mean, that was kind of everything. And just all the high tide raises all boats. It’s it I mean, if you if you can center, storytelling around community and do it in a way that’s organic, where people feel reflected, but the trick is to do it where people in every other city that are watching it get emotionally invested and and fall in love. And you just said something about storytelling and how it really does sort of, you know, create commonality with all of us. I think sports, music, and movies or store or theatrical, these are all experiences that require us to check our bullshit at the door, and we all get to feel the same thing for a minute.

In a world that’s so tribal, we all get to kinda root for the same thing. We take our hats off and our whatever whatever our our our tribal colors are, which is also something that happens these days, And we all get to feel something pretty, special together. And that that is, I think, like, you know, movies and sports and music, these are these are great American exports that are, you know, I think growing. And I think people are looking for a bit more unity. And football, being the most popular sport in the world, don’t totally know why American football has to take football.

If your foot is touching the ball in American football, you’ve done something bad. You know, You are you are in Chicago, the town of the Bears. Oh, yeah. No. I I I know.

But there’s like a security guard back there. He’s gonna help me out. Okay. In the event that you, rush the stage, and I will use Reyna as a human shield. I’m sorry.

That’s I’m a coward. But, yeah. I’ll take that. Yeah. And I I believe that you will, you know, do very well.

Get stuck. Yeah. Anyway, Rexam, it’s just that it is an item been the joy of my life, and it has been an ongoing joy, and it is something that I’ve learned so much more from than the other way around. And, and I’ve applied it to so many other things, along my this this crazy road. And, you know, storytelling is something I’m really lucky I get to do and be a part of.

I know you do it and I know you do it, and it’s, yeah, it’s the best job on earth. It is. Reina? Yes, sir. Hi.

Hi. How are you doing? Good. You’re a rising country music star who has recorded yourself? Yes.

Who has recorded with artists from Reba to Beyonce. Mhmm. Thank you. There are so many facets of your life that influenced your rise. To quote for the second time, Walt Whitman at the forum today, that he, and by extension we, contain multitudes Yes.

As Americans. That’s especially true for you. Yes. Yes. Definitely.

Would you mind sharing a little bit about your American experience and how it shaped your path and your rise? Yeah. Absolutely. Yes. So my parents are veterans.

I was born in Alaska. Thank you so much. And they’re here tonight, so they would I’m sure they’re beaming right now. My mother and father in the army for 10 years and then my bonus dad in the marines for 20 years. So, I was raised by wolves.

That that’s what I tell people. And all their soldiers helped, their best friends helped raise me. And, you have so many people from different backgrounds, cultures, etcetera, and that’s definitely something that shaped my American experience. And, I was born 2 months early, so I only weighed £2. I was supposed to be developmentally slow.

So my parents played all genres of music for me. They played country, they played rock, they played trap, they played classical, all the things. And, people always ask like, why did you choose country music? And I’m like, country I didn’t choose it. It chose me.

It’s in me. That Right? It’s all those genres live in me because that’s what I was I grew up singing. And, I at 8 years old, I started playing piano. And a few years after that, we lost our home.

So I was we were homeless for a few years, and my parents sold everything that we had except my piano, and they put my piano in a storage unit and they would take me there maybe like twice a week, if they could. So I could practice, play, sing, all those things. I remember around that age, people would stop by the storage unit and like record me and just listen to me practice for like an hour. And another thing that has really shaped my experience my American experience and being in country music is like going from practicing, being homeless, practicing in my storage unit at 8 years old to being able to open up for Riva. Being able to now play, like, in stadiums and performing for you guys, everyone’s everyone that’s here, President Obama, like, that is my American experience, which is absolutely incredible.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you. But on the other side of that, country music can be so difficult and complex at the same time. Like, of course, I’m a black woman doing country music, but I also have red hair.

Sometimes I wear things that are revealing, and it’s not, you know, the the standard in country music. But I do it because I love it, and it’s who I am. It’s a part of, the stories that I wanna create. And, and it’s it’s so interesting because it comes with challenges like if I’m doing a show at a reba concert or a Jamie Johnson concert, etcetera, and and some fans, they’ll come up to me and and they’ll say, I see myself in you, but they’ll have like confederate flags on, like on their clothes or on their phones, and I’m like, how how do I deal with this situation? And in those moments, I’ll be like, I’ll take a photo with you, but you have to wear one of my shirts or you have to wear you have to have like a different, you know, phone case, And not everybody in country music gets to experience that.

Is that a diplomat is that a diplomatic thing or you I mean, are is you clear about what that means when you say that to them or I mean, I’m like, I’m not comfortable taking a photo with with this on, but if you do want to take a photo with me, if you could wear one of my my shirts instead of the rebel flag, I would appreciate that, and we can take a photo. And, but when it comes How do they respond? I mean, they’re like, okay, I’ll go change. Which I’m like, oh, okay. And we’re and I’m in places that are like Mississippi and Kentucky, and I already Wait.

Wait. Wait. They said what? What did they They’re like, oh, I’ll change. I’ll go change.

I’ll wear one of your wear one of one of your shirts. What? I actually wanna take a photo with you. I love your music, And and I I never know what kind of, you know, reaction I’m going to get, but I’m also just being my true authentic self. And I’m like, well, you know, I would appreciate if you could.

And if you if you can’t, then unfortunately, you know, we can’t take a photo. Like, respect. Politics is downstream of culture. Well, I just my moral beliefs, like, how I feel is, like, if if you’re I wanna do this with you, but I wanna also be comfortable in the space doing it. But all that to say, country music is like such it’s like in me.

It’s who I am. It’s what I love. And, I’m so blessed to be able to tell stories because at the end of the day, outside of singing, I love writing songs. I love being able to tell all these different kind of stories, and it’s a it’s a blessing to get to do so. Thank you.

Your your folks did a very, very good job. Thank you. I cannot take any credit. It’s them and and the Lord. Where are they?

They’re somewhere. Parents, where are you at? Raise your hand. Guys. Oh, they’re over there.

Oh, there they are. There we go. And my mom’s backstage. Hi. I’m I’m looking for a new dad.

Well, I have 2 of them. You want Okay. You want them both? I’ll take one or the other if you can spare one of them. Yeah.

They both seem nice. I don’t know. Swipe right. I don’t know. Is that what they do?

I don’t know. I’ve been married for 14 years. Okay. Multitudes, Ryan. Multitudes.

Yeah. That’s Superhero. Shut up. I got it. Superhero.

Yep. Father. Yes, sir. Joking husband? Much more serious in not not in non social media, but team owner.

Mhmm. Artist, writer, entrepreneur. It reminds me of that saying, you wanna get something done, give it to someone who’s busy. Yeah. That’s true.

So the other thing that that makes me think of being involved in so many activities, it can help you see unexpected connections and make unexpected connections. And I’m curious about the connections you’ve seen people make in the story of Wrexham. That was a weird, kind of circuitous attempt to bring it back to Wrexham. So, I mean, just what do people see in that story? What have they been seeing?

How have they been finding themselves? What have they been seeing about their own communities? And you said earlier it taught you more than or that you’ve it gave you more than you gave it. What could you say more about that? Well, I mean, it’s just, you know, I every everybody kinda comes into I I don’t people sit up here in my position who are lucky enough to sit up here, they sort of approach like a TED talk where you kinda go, Yeah, I just saw it early.

The path was clear. I saw scalability. I hit it, and, Bob is your uncle. And I think that people, like I have a belief that I will will work so hard without layers, which is a part of the trick, which means that I don’t operate where I have, oh, yeah, if you wanna get in touch with me, here’s, here’s the number to, my assistant’s, 3rd intern. My digital moat, will keep me from ever actually speaking to you.

You just connect with people, not you’re not nobody they have your number and their your email address. They’re not gonna spam you. It you’re just it’s connecting, and it’s being a human being. And I enjoy that, that I get to, you know, be I get to work in showbiz, which is a wild privilege, but I also get to meet and experience people and meet them where they’re at. And I think what Rexon’s really grown inside of me is that I don’t I don’t know anything about financial investment.

I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m a storyteller. Sometimes I’m a salesman. You know, and sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference with those those two sort of monikers, but, I what it’s grown in me is is the value and importance of emotional investment. You can’t do anything without emotional investment.

You know, when you look at any kind of project like Rex and where there’s, you know, there are all sorts of socio economical issues that are all over the place. If you if people can be galvanized through emotional investment and feel like they’re a part of something, they will engage and they will also tell their story, you know, and it’s, I think it’s just one of the most beautiful things in the world is finding stories in the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times. And it’s just it’s it’s created a a weird sense of well-being within me that I didn’t know existed, and they say that your sort of synapses kind of regrow if you allow yourself awe. And, I’ve really let awe in, and it’s hard, and we all suffer from the same thing where we practically duct tape our phones to our faces. And, you know, but I’m working my ass off to not have my phone in my hand 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

You know, I’m I have 4 children who are seeing that modeled everywhere. And I just there is just so much going on if you look up for a bit, you know, and I know we live in a very political world, so everything is sort of divisive and and that sort of thing, and I just I just really feel like connecting with people is very important. What you said is I I thought was so profound is that somebody comes up, you know, who has just a basically diametrically opposed kind of position in life. And I and we have worked and lived where we’re we’re othering everybody all the time. And meeting somebody sort of close to the place that they’re at is what that is is probably incredibly hard what you’re doing there.

Like, I don’t even I can’t even imagine, that experience for you. But, you are connecting with somebody and that’s gonna change something, not maybe not every time, but something much faster than, you know, being a keyboard warrior and calling them all this and that. Whatever, you know, it just doesn’t work. So I I I see that, like, connecting with people and and Wales is no different, where where Wrexham is. It’s a Northern Wales has political divide and, you know, right wing and left wing, and I’m this and you’re that.

And again, that’s another reason it’s just the sports aspect of it is that when they walk into the race course ground in Wrexham, that stuff just goes away. And we are all rooting and enjoying and loving this moment. Even if we lose, we’re still like, wow, we got we’re lucky that we get to every time I go there, I grab a piece of grass and shove it in my pocket. I just I it’s it’s I’m always scared when I’m flying back. I’m like, no, no, that’s not no, no, no.

That’s not, that’s that’s marijuana, not the grass. I promise. Because they’ll get you if you take that grass. But, but I love I love that that connection. I believe it is possible.

I mean, I just sort of this last couple of years, I’m also guilty of othering, you know, oh, I I’m not gonna this politics or this person’s politics. And it’s like, no. I now I feel like I can connect. We don’t even have to talk politics. And the the thing I would say that changed my life the most, besides Rexam and, I guess somewhere along the way children, is is, conflict resolution, and that is something that is applied to all storytelling for me.

Like, mirroring, empathizing, validating somebody doesn’t mean you have to agree with them, and it’s a pretty sweet superpower to have because you connect and you see each other in a way that you just couldn’t before because it was clouded by all this emotion and anger and whatever. You know, you’re bringing your own story to everything and, and it’s the gift of storytelling again is is just I I I get to tell other people’s stories. You know? The difference between storytelling and salesman being a sales agent, you said that sometimes maybe is difficult to distinguish. Could you say just a little bit about that?

Well, yeah. I mean, a storyteller and a salesman oftentimes are they’re right meet right in that intersection of like, you know, you could be swallowed alive by the, you know, the asshole of capitalism just as easily, making a movie as you can selling a product. It’s a you were oh, you’re selling a product. I mean, you know, Deadpool and Wolverine, that’s a for profit film for Disney. You know, and, let’s not hide it.

I think they know. So, you know, part of my job is that I own a marketing company and and and these that intersects with almost everything we do, including Rexam, is not, tricking anyone. Is that people will always respond to authenticity sooner than they will, a gimmick or a like a Tide pod commercial that’s meant to make you sob during the Super Bowl. Whereas, like, if you just go, you know what? You people are very smart and you know you’re being marketed too, and you you say that, now they’re sharing your story and now they’re telling other people about your story and it’s just so storyteller and and salesman are very similar.

I don’t invent things. I’m not I’m not an entrepreneur in the sense that I didn’t invent a mobile company or a blah blah, you know, I didn’t do any of that stuff. I, I get to tell its tell its story or create its story. You know, both are wonderful. But it’s a salesman gig too.

Yeah. Got it. Thank you. Rayna, you’ve said every album I create is my own universe. Yes.

Could you say more about that? Yes. So half of the songs are right are definitely about like things that have happened to me and things that, impact me and I wanna speak about. But the other half is really I’m such a nerd, like I love I love all the different fandoms, like, from Doctor Who to Star Trek to Star Wars to Marvel to DC, all those things. And what really inspires me is telling stories and being able to, not only talk about my personal experiences, but creating characters in my music that go on these journeys.

Like that’s half of my half of my albums are about those. Like those stories aren’t even about me. I just wanna create things that are interesting that pull p p p pull people in and and, make them feel all these emotions that sometimes they try to shy away from. And when I say I make every album my universe, right now I’m working on an album and I call it my outlaw universe, and it’s a mixture with country, but science fiction and fantasy and all of the things that I love and that are dear to me. And, I just wanna pull people into this different experience.

Like I want I want my albums to be an experience for people, not just something that they can turn on and just like listen to in the background, and not just show the music, but I wanna also have a universe with my album where you have a graphic novel. And so let’s say you’re you’re reading the graphic novel and the first chapter is actually the first, track to my music. So you’re you’re getting my art in different different facets, like, on all the different verticals. So you have music, but then you have a graphic novel. One day, I hope to, create a limited series where every episode is also aligning with every track to my album.

Right? It’s like it’s different. I want people to experience my art in all all different forms. So I’m creating a universe for them to experience. You My God.

Yeah. Do you like it? Yeah. I like it. It’s cool.

Entrepreneur right there. I don’t know. Know. He’s a storyteller and a salesman. Dad?

Nailed nailed it with sis. Well, but I have a question. Sorry. So sorry. I’m not trying to take a question.

Why are you apologizing? When you write, you write. Yeah. You you’re are you always writing or do you write when you have to or do you write to save your life like I do sometimes? Oh, the above.

Like, sometimes I don’t even wanna write, but I get so many ideas. Like, I’m watching a movie, say, for instance, that song I performed called raise right. I was watching star wars, and I love Kylo Ren, and I was in the theater, like, oh my goodness, this man was not raised right. Oh my goodness, this is a really cool idea. When I go home, I’m gonna write a song about this, and then I end up coming up with 8 other ideas during that one process, and then I just keep going, and then I’m like, I can’t switch it off.

So all the time. That song is about Kylo Ren? Yes. Well, I mean, I ended up turning it about me. I will yeah.

But I’m wherever Adam Driver is, he’s just real Beaming. Beaming. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. Yeah. Did you really wanna ask her that if she’s been inspired to write a song based on Deadpool? Or I did, but I resisted the urge, and that’s, that’s I I think a fresh one is better for valor. Is there is there a Deadpool song song in your character?

But there can be. I I have one. I just can’t, sing it or write a song. So That’s where I come in. Yes.

Exactly. I gotcha. Celine Dion did one for the other, the other movie, and that was Meg How do I beat that? I don’t know. Well, you could I think I actually, after hearing you, I remember maybe I can, I think?

But only in your sleep. Oh, okay. Yeah. I’m sure you Or in the shower. Yeah.

You could crush it. Yeah. So Wrexham was not I mean, in in contrast to the Disney characterization of the for profit venture. Wrexham was not an overtly for profit venture in in In N On, but they’re both storied. I mean, you’re involved in a Marvel universe that is inspiring, you know, Reyna to to to make work.

And so in a way, the universe of narrative, the way that you exist in multiple arenas of that give you a perspective on storytelling having an effect on communities whether they are for profit or not overtly. And I wonder if you could just say some more about the way in which stories kinda shift ecosystems. Oh, yeah. Emotionally and intellectually Yeah. Until we look, I you know, sitting in a movie theater with, 500 people, a 1000 people, 200 people, is a pow is a powerful experience.

And we talked earlier about emotional investment, but like it’s a, you know, you look at, you know, it’s a going to a film is a financial and emotional investment. So you you get in your car, you you or you book a babysitter, get in a car, drive to the, the theater, you park, you pay for parking, you pay for concession, you sit down, you give the perfect perfect stranger 2 hours of your time. It’s very valuable. Then you get out of the theater, and I hope to God we delivered because our job is to, you know, basically have people come into a room and then leave that room feeling a little bit better than they did 2 hours ago. And then they get in the car and they talk about it and then by the time they get home, they’ve that’s a big time emotional investment.

Now television is, you know, it’s a different kind of emotional investment. You’re watching television, I’m coming to you in television. It’s a very different feel. Like when I started I started in TV, it’s one of the best jobs I ever had. It was a sitcom called 2 Guys, A Girl, and A Pizza Place.

It’s like 20 something years ago. And, it was a live audience and I loved it. And what was different about it though for me, and I’ve heard a couple other people say this before, is like when you’re on television and people see you on the street, they’ll come grab you, like they’ll hug you, they’ll bear hug you. And I I found it fascinating that when I switched or started to move into film and work more and more in film, that stopped. You know?

And it and I don’t I don’t know exactly why it stopped, but it stopped, I think, because there’s a lot there’s a different kind of investment that they’ve made in you. They’ve come to you or, you know, that sort of thing. So it’s I see so much value in both though. You know, now I get to kind of experience both with Welcome to Wrexham, which I’m not actually in that much. It’s mostly focused, on the town.

But, yeah, it’s a it’s a it’s it’s it that whole landscape is just, I think, changing, more and more, and I really do, see it as an important part of our culture, sort of inexorably moving forward. You know, if we’re hoping to, get any kind of middle ground, any kind of unity, any kind of, like, yeah, congealed feeling in the in in in in our society. It’s I it’s storytellers. They’ve always been storytellers. I mean, politics is storytelling.

You know? It’s, it’s it’s it’s it’s many things. It’s occasionally a little bit, you know, shady, but but, you know, no shadier than showbiz. I mean, yeah, it’s a that’s a Do you think do you think risk taking this is not a it’s just an off the cuff question. Do you think risk taking is harder now given the sort of conglomerization of I mean, for you as a storyteller trying to tell stories, is that something is that something you think about or you find yourself thinking of?

Yes and no. I think about, like, I think about redemption as the gold standard of the North Star. Right? Like, redemption is very powerful. Wrexham works really on on that on that on that principle.

I definitely like to test the sides. I don’t want to I’ve lost that, like, a desire to, like, I’m gonna force my feelings down your throat, just because it’s we’ve all the social media world. Right? We’re all living in our little echo chambers, and we only wanna hear our own belief system mirror back to us, and yada yada yada. So, like, I try to play in the sandbox where it’s just more like, where both sides would be because we gotta play it.

Politics is everywhere. You you both sides feel like they got something awesome, or you tested them a little bit. And that’s really rewarding for me. But also if that’s all shrouded around redemption, you’re cooking with gas. Redemption is like the greatest feeling on earth.

I give you a like an example, which is obviously the Rex and story is redemption. But, working I was sitting in in Hall H in San Diego Comic Con, and this was the we I’ve been all over the world with this, guy, Hugh Jackman. And we’d been talking about this movie just like ad nauseam, and it’s just been this huge thing, and I’ve been working on it for years. I’ve been writing and shaping and crafting and, you know, frame effing. I’ll try not to say the full thing, but that’s what you call it when you’re just you want every little inch of the movie to be just so.

And we got there to hall h, and it was the first time I ever got to sit in an audience. This is what redemption means to me. So you sit in there and you are watching it in the audience with 6,000 people, and in this one scene, Wesley Snipes crosses the frame. And I’ve never heard sounds like that come out of people. Like and that what’s what’s happening there is redemption, and it is missing something desperately, but you didn’t know you missed it.

It’s like a is it it’s like hitting a bull’s eye in the Grand Canyon from the top. I mean, it’s very it’s a bit of luck when you when you get it, and it’s also somebody whose favorite drug is nostalgia, you know, in a world where, you know, maybe identity politics are their favorite drug. But for me, nostalgia, oh my God, you could sell that in little baggies. No one has to go to jail. You know, it’s, it’s great.

It’s just the greatest. So, yeah, I tend to sort of think in those kinds of terms. I mean, if you if I only could tell you all the people I wanted to get that Marvel said, you can’t. But that moment was the best moment, in showbiz of my life. And it was also I’ve known Wesley for 20 something years, and he came up afterwards.

He said, you know, just I’m not gonna cry. But he said, I’m really glad my kids were here to see that. And I was like, of course, they haven’t seen you play Blade in 20 years, 2020 something years, and they’re teenagers. Right? And it was just one of the best experiences I’ve ever had.

You know? And then I saw Hugh Jackman, the feelings all just went away. Reina, so picking up on some things that Ryan said there, testing boundaries Mhmm. And redemption. And with regards to that, and you and your journey in country music, could you say a little bit about what it means to be testing boundaries?

Because I think that’s something that you’re doing. Yeah. Can you say can you say something about the experience of doing that and being involved in that as a country music Artist. Yeah. Artist?

But also, it seems to me that there is implicit in that maybe some kind of a movement toward redemption for the for for the American public, for the country music. People who created country music. Well, a lot of people also don’t know that, like, black musicians created country music because of kind of what you see today. Right. Thank you.

And and, they everybody knows, like, a lot of legends, that are country music artists, but you don’t know who taught those legends, what they know, which are black musicians. And in terms of, like, testing boundaries, I get I mean, I’m always testing boundaries, but it’s not purposeful. I’m just being my authentic self, and I happen to be testing boundaries, and also, like, being completely unapologetically, like, who I am as an artist and doing what I I want to do as an artist, and it just tests the limits, especially in country music. If I wanna wear some sometimes see through clothes or the fact that I have, you know, red hair, country music. You might hear it in trap or pop, and you’re hearing it in country music.

And I’m like, well, the thing is, great music is great music regardless of what genre we put testing other people’s like limits and boundaries. But you know, at the same time, it is what it is. I’m not trying to make people uncomfortable, but I just happen to do so sometimes. Weird. Especially, also, like, especially, like, with Beyonce coming out with her, album this year.

And I was I was so thankful to be a part of, just her story because she is my favorite artist in the world. She always has been. In country music respond and react to her album is is so interesting. I feel like we were celebrated in so many different places, in the US and around the world. But then you go to, places in in in in the country music scene and then they don’t wanna talk about it.

They’re just like, we don’t know what that is. And I’m like, it’s okay if you don’t know what it is because the whole world knows what it is. Period. Do do you find yourself thinking about that segment of the country music listening? Do you do you find yourself thinking about them more than you want to?

Not really. Only because I’m also a really positive person, and I I try to focus on the things that are gonna make me a better person. I don’t want to feed into negativity and things that take me away from my vision or the things that my family and my team and and people around me are proud of, and so instead of focusing on, like, people that can be, you know, on the other side of things, I look at all the ways we’ve grown and all the ways we can move forward and how we can better ourselves in better, country music and also make it more universal. Because my goal has always been to not just be a a country music artist, my goal has always been to be a superstar, whether it’s doing country music or any other genre and, making sure people also feel inclus included, in country music specifically, because you only see typically one kind of representation, and I’m so happy that this year, so many more, different races and cultures are coming into country music and and seeing that they can, they will be accepted and and loved and cherished in the genre.

Even if it’s not by everybody, it’s by people who who see them and and appreciate them for who they are. And I just wanna append one last little piece to that question and ask you if you have hopes for what your work and your place in country music means to others and what it can mean to others and what it might inspire. Definitely. My goal has always been yeah. My goal is, like, as a storyteller, as an artist, as a singer, and entertainer, my goal is to inspire those, like, the artists who have inspired me were Beyonce, Sia, Rihanna, Nickelback, Led Zeppelin, like, all of those artists.

Hold on. You just went Nickelback? I love Nickelback. I do too. You love a Nickelback?

Well, yes. I’ve done all sorts of I’ve done anti, anti Nickelback spots. What? Yeah. You can’t trash them.

They’re they’re great. What’s your favorite song? Oh god. We had, Or 3. I we had the the we had it in Deadpool forever, the Deadpool Wolverine movie, and I I had to take it out, not because of them.

I only stayed in because of them. It’s, How Your Mind Me is like a big hit on this. That song. But Great. Great.

Great. Photographs. Great. The, both Ed Sheeran and Nickelback’s photographs. Yes.

Wonderful. And then, yeah, there’s I wish I remembered that something home or I forget what it’s called. It’s like a it’s a lesser known drama. Is it from one of the first albums? Like, there’s, like, just like Oh, so is going by.

Oh, don’t make me do that. That’s like I’m gonna yeah. Sorry. You do it. Oh, my God.

I would be I would need an adult diaper if I was gonna do that duet with you. Like, when I see, Beyonce, and it’s been a couple of times where I’ve seen her out in the world, like, in in a room, a small room. I make, like, sounds. I met I sat made a sound. My wife said that you that was Nathan Lane.

And I I go, oh. And it just comes out. Like, you can’t stop it. It comes from, like, the bottom of your feet and works its way up. And I yeah.

But, yeah. I know I I I the I have such respect for musicians though. Right. That is such a hard thing to do and to do it well like you guys do. Oh, man.

It’s great. I mean, all of us, like, at the end of the day, like you said earlier, we are all storytellers. Like, it’s just the power of a great story that makes you feel and that and drives you to wanna be a better person, artist, etcetera. So, I mean, it’s all connected, but Never gonna forget this moment that you just drop Nickelback in the middle of all that other stuff. Yeah.

I haven’t heard of any of those other artists, but they sound great. I literally I would read I would look I would, like, go through their songs, look at their lyrics, study them, and I’m like, this is how you this is these are great storytellers. I wanna be a great storyteller. I have to study it to be But this is why you did this is how you be this is how you’re great at anything, is you can’t make anything great without enthusiasm. And I love it when people see it differently.

You know, you’re not seeing it through the lens of like what is the coolest thing to say here and now. Uh-uh. It’s offensive, but that everyone who’s great has a bit of that, you know? And I didn’t I didn’t, you know, I really didn’t know who I was until I was 38 or 40 or so. And that’s been the best super rounder, and it’s allowed allowed me to do some of that, which I wish I was doing when I was your age.

I I don’t know your age and I’m about to be digging a shovel, the shovel’s going down. I’m happy with it. I could feel it, but the words keep coming and you just you can’t, don’t it’s not coming. Yep. There’s no way to pump those brakes.

I think you just did. Yep. I did it. Just well done. I did it.

Actually, George, my my partner in the back has a a button that he it does it. It hurts. And I stopped. Yeah. But I just I also wanted to add one other thing though.

Like, in terms of, like, the legacy I wanna leave behind in country music, like, I’m not saying this just because you’re on the stage, but my goal has always been to be a superhero in, like, everything that I do and making sure that people follow their dreams and and not go after them just because people say it can’t be done or that it’s impossible or all that other stuff that comes from like negativity and fear, and making sure people feel empowered when they’re speaking their stories and they’re sharing their art with others and embracing that and and not settling for anything less than excellence and greatness in who they are. I don’t see superhero, ing going anywhere anytime soon. The same? But I am wondering if you would raise my children as though you were your own. It compares them all day.

They could learn a lot from you. It’s just simple grunts for me all day, but, that’s wow. Yeah. You and my wife, you guys just carry on without me. I’ll be down here in the den watching you good night.

I’m seeing that we’re approaching time here. I think the timer is, very valuable, isn’t it? No. It’s it is. And and, you know, there the writers I don’t think the writers anticipated this would be as much fun as it’s ended up being.

So there were some jokes at the end that I was supposed to tell You got a minute. I don’t know. Well, actually, so in a closing minute, what I’d say is, you know, here we are at the Obama Foundation Democracy Forum, and is there anything either of you would like to say about Obama or democracy or forums? I have so much pressure. Well, okay.

I no. I I I yeah. Well, I don’t know. Do you wanna go or I, yeah. I mean, I think I think there’s something, you know, Barack Obama is one of the coolest, people on the planet, and and I sometimes wonder how it’s possible that he was also the president of the United States.

And I, you know what I I I I love about his legacy, is obviously, you know, you have the stuff that’s the campaigns of hope and, you know, the audacity of it. But you you also have a president who really connected with young people in a way that I think was, vital and needs to needs to we need a little bit more of that, I think. And, you know, I know I I know I’m Canadian. I’m not allowed to go too deep into these, slushy scary waters. But, but I’ll just say that I really yeah.

I I think that there is something very important about politics going back to, civil service and kind of, really kind of being engineered to take care of communities and, you know, I just worry because I see these most politicians get into into office. And then day 2, we’re campaigning for the next next one. And it’s just, yeah. It’s it’s it’s hard to watch sometimes because it’s just pageantry after pageantry after pageantry. So I and I I I adore that man and I’m lucky to have had 2 voicemail messages from him that that Dum Dum erased by accident.

My wife procured them and I just blew it. So yeah. But he I think he’s like one of those that really reached out to young people, and I’m you you go ahead because we’re almost out of time, and I don’t wanna I am so incredibly inspired by Barack number 44. And it’s so funny because we’ve had a we’ve had a portrait of him in our house for, I don’t know, like, half of my life. Every time we go up the stairs in our house, I’m like, that’s my president.

And hearing him speak last night, oh my goodness, I was filled with so much like encouragement and belief, and he makes me believe in things that sometimes can feel impossible. And like I can I can I want to be a better person? Every time I hear him speak, every time I hear Michelle speak, I wanna be a better individual and and and be a blessing to others. And I feel like they are constantly doing that and, the virus is like on another level. Every time I hear them, I’m just I wanna I wanna be that person that, that is I I’m now I’m just rambling because I’m nervous.

I think you I think you are that person. I know. I mean, I agree. I agree. As well.

I really do. I I think yeah. So Thank you. Thank you, Ryan, and thank you, Reina. This is the end of our first session.

This is a little housekeeping. So for those of you here in this room, it’s time to, participate in any number of workshops and conversations. Check out your mobile app to find the session you registered for and head to level 2. And for those watching at home, we’ll be back this afternoon with President Obama taking the stage. Thank you.

Hit like and smash that subscribe button, I suppose. Is that what you missed, sir? I think it Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. Thank you.

Hey, people. That’s what president Obama says when he greets us here at the Obama Foundation, and you’re with us virtually at our democracy forum. We just finished our morning session. We had Ryan Reynolds and Rayna Roberts in a great conversation about democracy and pluralism. Come on back at 5 PM CST for our next session where you’re gonna hear president Obama speak.

So for now, it was great having you with us and we’ll see you in a few. Bye now.