NEW YORK (AP) — Adam Luke remembers thinking at the first meeting of what would become the Citizen Solutions pilot, “Oh God, this is going to suck.”
Luke, who describes himself as an “educated redneck,” was one of 11 Tennesseans with widely varying views on gun rights selected by the project to discuss possible recommendations to reduce gun violence. He fondly remembers his father pulling him out of school in first grade to go deer hunting and has long considered himself a gun rights advocate, saying, “Guns have always had a positive impact on my life.”
Luke, a licensed marriage and family therapist, says he wants to take that stand and address the needs of those who want to curb gun violence.
“The reason I came to the table was because I’m so tired of the idea that there’s nothing we can do, that there’s no path forward … that the citizens of America are unable to communicate with each other.” Luke said. “That’s what I wanted to be hostile to.”
This desire to work together, tackle a problem and combat polarization led the Tennessee 11, as they called themselves, to develop a series of laws that could reduce gun violence in their state. It also led the coalition of artistic, political and philanthropic leaders behind the pilot to believe it had enough merit to expand.
That coalition — which includes entrepreneur and philanthropist Daniel Lubetzky, actor Liev Schreiber, journalist Katie Couric, Muhammad Ali Center director Lonnie Ali and others — announced Tuesday that it would launch Builders, a global nonprofit Initiative that aims to reduce polarization while encouraging people to work together to find solutions that can support everyone.
“The problem is the way social media and cable news turn everything into ‘us versus them’ situations,” said Lubetzky, founder of Kind Snacks and recurring shark on ABC’s “Shark Tank.” “Builders will address this by helping people strengthen their thinking, how to process information and how to actually solve problems rather than fuel animosity.”
The developers started with the publication of Lubetzky’s recent TED talk on the fight against polarization. He said the initiative will have four main components: Builders Media will produce digital content that challenges stereotypes and divisive narratives; Builders Toolkit to aid educational institutions promote critical thinking in their students; Builders Network, to amplify the voices of those speaking out against extremism; and the Citizen Solutions Project.
“Both Democrats and Republicans don’t think they have anything in common,” said Ashley Phillips, program manager at Builders’ Citizens Solutions. “But actually there are a whole set of shared values that bring these very different parties together.”
Identifying and mobilizing these shared values was at the heart of the founding of Citizen Solutions, which Lubetzky had previously supported for two decades through his nonprofit OneVoice Movement. The Tennessee gun control program was the group’s pilot project, and it has expanded to Wisconsin, where it is currently working to find common ground on the abortion debate.
The idea of citizens’ assemblies dates back to historic Athens, where men gathered to vote on proposed laws. But in recent years the practice of studying what should be done about climate change has returned in some countries.
“It never ceases to amaze me how citizens want to roll up their sleeves and get this work done,” Phillips said.
Schreiber, who was recently nominated for a best actor Tony for his work in “Doubt,” said he is committed to working with Builders to combat polarization in any way he can.
“What I liked so much about ‘Doubt’ as a play was that it expressed the idea that we can all slow down the algorithm – the algorithm that prepares us for conflict and tribalization – a little and admit that we Knowing less than we think we know and trying to educate ourselves, I think it can help,” Schreiber told The Associated Press.
This idea fits in with the activities of his nonprofit BlueCheck Ukraine, which informs potential donors about the work of Ukrainian nonprofits and brings to airy the conditions of war, especially for children.
“Part of the illness we are all suffering from right now is caused by social media and the digital age,” Schreiber said. “It feels like we are now programmed to make hasty decisions and take positions before we are sufficiently informed or understand the positions we are taking.”
Lonnie Ali said she and her overdue husband, Muhammad, admired Lubetzky’s anti-polarization work for years. She said she hopes developers can inspire people to look for solutions and form alliances.
“Extremists rise every morning with the intent to advance their cause and they are driven to divide and destroy,” she said. “We need to channel that same energy, but to unite and build up.”
Given the current polarized climate on campuses across the country, Lubetzky said Builders will make its Builders Toolkit available to universities so they can apply the strategies to prevent or defuse extremist clashes.
Tennessee 11’s Luke says the strategies are working and is excited about Builders’ expansion. “If we can just provide that social push so that citizens realize that we can talk about abortion rights, we can talk about immigration, we can talk about difficult things,” he said. “How about we come to the table and both say, ‘The government sucks right now’.”
If you agree on that, he says, you can figure out what else you agree on.
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