Sparking Civil Discourse in Cincinnati

By Natalie Laroche, Program Manager for Debate Operations, Braver Angels

Over the last two decades, negative views of the opposing party have become increasingly widespread. According to research conducted by Pew Research Center, in 1994, fewer than a quarter of Republicans and fewer than a fifth of Democrats had a very unfavorable view of the other party. In 2022, these numbers had jumped: 62% of Republicans and 54% of Democrats held very unfavorable views of the other party. This trend existed not only among committed partisans, but also among those who consider themselves to lean somewhat in the direction of each party.

Our country is more divided than ever, with too many of us isolated from those who hold different views. This division damages our communities, disrupts our families, and stops us from working together for the common good. It doesn’t have to be this way, and that is the driving force behind Braver Angels: the vision of an America with a respectful embrace of political disagreements, where civic friendship flourishes and competing perspectives strengthen our nation.

Braver Angels is the nation’s largest grassroots nonprofit organization dedicated to bringing Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic. With 117 Alliances—that is, local volunteer-led Braver Angels chapters— across the country, Braver Angels aims not to change people’s views of issues, but to change their views of each other.

In collaboration with partners at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni and BridgeUSA, Braver Angels also brings programming to college campuses. This joint initiative, known as the College Debates and Discourse Alliance (CD&D), provides vital structure for institutional partners to foster respectful conversations across ideological lines on their campuses nationwide.

In early 2025, a team of Cincinnati Braver Angels leaders—several of whom had participated in Braver Angels Debates in their Alliance—set out to bring additional debate and discourse programming to their community. Among the group was longtime Braver Angels member and University of Cincinnati Associate Dean of the College for Engineering and Applied Sciences Eugene Rutz.

With leaders from Braver Angels and CD&D, Rutz and other local leaders conceived a series of programs and workshops that would bring together members of the campus community and the local Alliance. The team identified four desired sessions, and sub-teams worked to plan each one. The four sessions were:

1. A Braver Campus Dialogue (ABCD) Workshop
2. CD&D Introductory Presentation
3. Braver Angels Debate
4. Debate Resolution Development Workshop

To plan the A Braver Campus Dialogue (ABCD) Workshop, leaders from BA and CD&D joined Rutz and six student representatives from the University of Cincinnati. CD&D program Director Doug Sprei also revamped a program presentation, tailoring it to this series of events and those expected to be in attendance. At Braver Angels, Debate Team leaders worked diligently to develop a concise program presentation; in addition, national and local leaders put their heads together to craft a few resolutions that could inform a live debate resolution selection process. Finally, the Debate Team worked to customize our standard resolution development programming for delivery to Cincinnati Alliance leaders.

After extensive planning, the group convened in April for two days of programming. In this engaging four-part series of events, participants had the opportunity to experience truly constructive dialogue and learn more about bringing it to their campuses and communities.

Session 1

The series kicked off with A Braver Campus Dialogue (ABCD) Workshop. The Workshop, a two-part solution-oriented conversation, is designed to allow participants to navigate the complexities of an issue, discuss its root causes, and explore potential solutions. Through this exploration, participants often discover that differing viewpoints are not obstacles but essential components in addressing our most controversial issues. This was indeed the case for the approximately 40 students, faculty members, administrators, and community members who convened in UC’s Clifton Court Hall. Together they discussed the question, “How should campus communities respond to evolving DEI policies?” (a particularly timely and salient issue on the UC campus given action taken following the signing of a related bill, OH Senate Bill 1, in the two weeks prior).

“I am leaving with a lot of hope and energy by listening and thinking “okay, this may just be the beginning but it is not the end. We can do this.“

Charlene Garrett, Assistant Director at UC’s Warren Bennis Leadership Institute

Following the workshop, participants expressed a more positive outlook on political discourse and the issue at hand, indicated a greater willingness to share their ideas or opinions, and noted that they would recommend this experience to others. For freshman Emmett Looman, the experience was a good reminder that “at the end of the day, we are just people with different perspectives and experiences. Trust comes from understanding.”

Session 2

The following morning, a handful of participants returned for reflection on the prior day’s workshop and a presentation on the work of the CD&D Alliance. This time, they were also joined by representatives from two other area universities, Miami University and Xavier University. Rutz offered reflections on the workshop, including his original motivations for bringing it to campus, and CD&D leaders had the opportunity to share a bit about their program, which has engaged over 19,000 participants at 118 unique institutions across the nation since its 2018 inception. Attendees called the presentation informative and engaging. In an anonymous feedback form, one participant noted that they “hope to see debates [and other dialogues] implemented on several campuses in the Cincinnati area.” Another participant shared that they appreciated the opportunity to “convene with folks working in the space of civil dialogue facilitation, and to hear about variations of university projects across the region and country.”

Session 3

The group dove back in for a Braver Angels Debate. With a brief presentation, leaders demonstrated that, unlike other kinds of debate folks are often familiar with, Braver Angels Debates are not about winning or rhetorical excellence. Rather, they are designed to foster understanding across political difference and, as such, invite ordinary members of the community to speak their minds and listen to others as they do the same. Next, community leaders had the opportunity to experience the format themselves. In real time, participants selected a resolution to debate— Resolved: Implement age maximums for elected office—and Madam Chair called the debate to order.

Attendees gave alternating speeches in the affirmative and negative, asking thoughtful questions along the way. Participants responded enthusiastically to the session, and unanimously agreed they gained insights directly relevant to their work. One participant shared a sense that Braver Angels debates are a “good format for working through difficult issues.” Another said it was helpful to “see this framework in action” as their center thinks about training “student leaders in dialogue facilitation.” Additionally, a majority of the group strongly agreed that hearing perspectives different from their own was a beneficial exercise.

Session 4

The final workshop on Resolution Development, brought a—smaller, but still highly engaged—group together to learn the nuanced art of crafting effective Braver Angels debate resolutions. To apply what they’d learned, the group brainstormed and refined resolutions on the size of the federal government and the sustainability of democracy. Alliance leaders will further refine these resolutions and survey their community to gauge interest and divisiveness, ensuring there is merit in debating these issues in their Alliance. We’ve done a lot of debates in our Alliance,” one leader reflected, “and [through this workshop] I definitely found ways to tighten up the process and better formulate resolutions…”

Many participants shared this view, indicating they left with greater confidence and practical strategies for developing and adjusting resolutions to better engage specific audiences. “There are so many nuances in [resolution development],” said Beverly Horstman, one of Ohio’s State Coordinators, adding, “I would encourage anyone to go through this workshop.”

“This is a valuable experience. It helped having knowledgeable people here to be able to lead it who have had experience from the national level. I think it would be very important to have experienced people, again, help an Alliance with this. There are so many nuances in it that it is important to be able to talk about it.

Beverly Horstman, Ohio State Co-Coordinator

Program participants consistently report that immersive and participatory workshops and debate experiences, offered both by Braver Angels and the College Debates and Discourse Alliance, invite them to listen deeply and engage respectfully on some of the most challenging issues dividing our nation today. Driven by concerns not only about increasing polarization but about partisan animosity—the fact that Americans on opposite sides of the political spectrum not only increasingly disagree with but also dislike one another—we seek to activate networks of local leaders who can work on the ground to bridge the partisan divide in their communities.

Each session in this series equipped local leaders with additional tools to promote civil discourse in their communities. Participants expressed a universal eagerness to do just that. We are eager to see what these excellent leaders, empowered with new ideas and carefully designed resources, will continue to contribute to their communities.

Braver Angels and the College Debates and Discourse Alliance look forward to future collaboration with campus and community leaders in the Cincinnati region. In addition, both teams are eager to replicate this programming in communities across the nation. Field leaders are the fuel of the Braver Angels movement and time is always well spent empowering them to further this important work.