Braver Angels (formerly Better Angels) is a New York-based

501(c)(3) nonprofit A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of 50 ...

dedicated to political depolarization. The organization runs workshops, debates, and other events where "red" (conservative) and "blue" (liberal) participants attempt to better understand one another's positions and discover their shared values. Its stated mission is to bring Americans together to bridge the partisan divide and strengthen our democratic republic.

Founding

Braver Angels was founded by

David Blankenhorn David Blankenhorn (born 1955 in Jackson, Mississippi) is the founder and president of the Institute for American Values and its initiative Braver Angels. He is also co-director of The Marriage Opportunity Council and the author of ''Fatherless Am ...

, Bill Doherty, and David Lapp shortly after the 2016 presidential election. The organization's original ''Better Angels'' name was inspired by Lincoln's plea for national unity at the close of his first inaugural address. The name was changed to Braver Angels in 2020 pursuant to a trademark infringement suit.

Leadership

is the president of Braver Angels. Prior to Braver Angels, Blankenhorn worked to prevent the legalization of gay marriage; in 2012, he announced that he continues to believe gay marriage is morally wrong, but is in favor of its legalization as a political compromise. John Wood Jr. is the Director of Media Development at Braver Angels. He produces the Braver Angels podcast and Youtube channel. He is a Republican politician.

Podcast

The ''Braver Angels Podcast'' began in 2017, hosted by a rotating group of Braver Angels leaders including

, John Wood Jr., Alma Cook, April Lawson Kornfield, Ciaran O'Connor, and Mónica Guzmán. Past guests have included Bill Kristol,

James Comey James Brien Comey Jr. (; born December 14, 1960) is an American lawyer who was the seventh director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from 2013 until his dismissal in May 2017. Comey was a registered Republican for most of his adul ...

Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated '' Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained natio ...

Jonathan Haidt Jonathan David Haidt (; born October 19, 1963) is an American social psychologist and author. He is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University Stern School of Business. His main areas of study are the psychology of ...

Coleman Hughes Coleman Cruz Hughes (born February 25, 1996) is an American writer and podcast host. He was a fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and a fellow and contributing editor at their '' City Journal'', and is the host of the podcast ' ...

, Hawk Newsome, Carol M. Swain, and

Greta Van Susteren Greta Conway Van Susteren (born June 11, 1954) is an American commentator, lawyer, and television news anchor for Newsmax TV. She was previously on CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. She hosted Fox News's ''On the Record w/ Greta Van Susteren'' for 14 ...

References

External links

*{{Official website, https://braverangels.org/ Organizations based in New York City 501(c)(3) organizations