“Uniting for Action" Group Calls for Change Across America

​February 2021 – We are a diverse group of 33 Americans from different communities with political views across the ideological spectrum. We have come together through the “Uniting for Action: America” program to build new relationships, explore different perspectives on issues, and work together to solve problems that impact all communities across our country. 

Our group strives to reflect the diversity of America. We believe our country’s geographic, racial, political, and other differences are a source of strength. Indeed, it is our differences that have brought us together to move our country forward -- and we hope our collaboration will serve as an inspiration to others.
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In light of the tremendous challenges facing our country, we call on our fellow Americans to recognize that we have far more in common than our national politics and polarized rhetoric suggest, and to strengthen our democracy by:

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Supporting constructive discourse, including on challenging topics such as race in America, with a focus on seeking to understand, not just seeking to be understood,

Using the ABCs of constructive conversation across difference to ask questions to better understand perspectives with which we may disagree, break down our perspectives so others can understand, and check our understanding of others’ views, rather than aiming to silence perspectives that do not align with our own,

Amplifying historically underrepresented and suppressed voices to help create space for everyone’s stories,

Spending more time with people who are DIFFERENT from us,

Consuming news from a diverse set of credibly-sourced media outlets, and
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Validating the information we consume on social media, and reflecting on why we might share that information before doing so.

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Over the past four months, we have explored different perspectives across five broad topic areas: Economy, Education, Food, Media, and Race. Working together across difference has not always been easy, but we have committed to doing so because we know it is what our country needs. As we begin taking action across our communities, we have managed to agree on the analyses and action-oriented approaches below: 

• Too many people in our country struggle to participate fully (investments, bank accounts, home ownership) in our economy and have little margin for error. We must expand opportunities for adults who don't have a four-year college degree or young people who may not want to go to university (or would have a hard time paying for it) to pursue alternative career opportunities. We support efforts, such as the Education Design Lab's BRIDGES Rural initiative, to help people without four-year degrees acquire the necessary skills to land jobs of the future that offer livable wages and create pathways to economic freedom.

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• Mental health issues are a real obstacle to receiving a full education. The pandemic has brought isolation and an increased reliance on social media, which has negatively impacted education outcomes. We all have a responsibility to take mental health seriously and address the root causes in young people.

 

• In the United States, 30 to 40 percent of food is wasted. We believe all Americans must take responsibility for wasting less food. We should support efforts by organizations such as Food Rescue US to help divert food that would otherwise be wasted on farms (e.g., ugly fruit) and in stores (e.g., dented cans) to people who are hungry and to producers who can turn that “waste” into food. We call on elected officials to increase support for small-scale, organic, climate-resilient agriculture.

  

• A lack of quality reporting by local media undermines civic engagement by leading people to turn to unreliable and biased sources. Vibrant local news reporting stimulates active community engagement, and active community engagement stimulates vibrant local news. Investing in stronger local news reporting will make it easier for journalists to report more on solutions and less on problems, advancing efforts to tackle our country’s challenges together.

 

• We all have a responsibility to better understand the trauma of historical individual and institutional racism against Black people and other marginalized groups, as well as its impact on present-day disparities in our society. We need to engage in more open and honest discussions across racial differences on the causes of racial disparities in health, education, economic, and other well-being outcomes -- and the actions we can take to address them.

We recognize the scope and severity of the challenges that face our country. Words therefore must be followed up with action. In the weeks to come, we will continue implementing small projects that advance the solutions we have described above. Our efforts will not “solve” complex societal challenges, but we are connecting across divides and learning together in the process to better understand where action is most impactful. We invite you to support our efforts and/or join our final program gathering on March 10. 

Disclaimer: The statement above reflects a consensus view of the 33 "Uniting for Action America" participants, organizers, and moderators listed below and not necessarily the organizations with which they are affiliated.

Kamy Akhavan
​Alisha Bhagat
Joseph Bubman​
​Harrison Burke
​Stephen H Carmody
Stephen J Carmody
​Marsha Wesley Coleman
Pooja Bachani Di Giovanna​

Emily Epstein
Kip Gary
​Ellen Greenberg
​Rob Hernandez
​Z.J. Jallah
Michele Jansen
Bonnie Jenkins
​Bridget Kennedy

Shelby Kim
​Jennifer Livingston
​Meg Malone
​Tim Malone
Itzbeth Menjivar
​Kristy Plaza
​Elia Powers
​Miriam Romais

Brian Rubin
​Shenee Simon
Erika Maldonado Singh
​Tracy Thornton
Corie Walsh
​Jamila White
Daniel Wolk
​Christina Wong
​Greta Zarro

The Uniting for Action America program is being implemented by BridgePeople, News Literacy Project, Urban Rural Action, and WCAPS. 

BridgePeople Contact: Itzbeth Menjivar, info@bridgepeople.us
Urban Rural Action Contact: Logan Grubb, logan@uraction.org
​WCAPS Contact: Bonnie Jenkins, wcaps@wcaps.org

If you’re interested in joining our final program gathering on March 10, 2021 or otherwise supporting Uniting for Action America, please sign up below.