America Talks - Joan Blades & John Gable

Published: April 21, 2022, 11 p.m.

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As I write this on April 21, 2022, America Talks is underway.\\xa0 Americans with different backgrounds and beliefs are firing up their computers, turning on their cameras and talking to each other, face-to-face. \\xa0

On purpose.\\xa0 And with a purpose. \\xa0

Creating connections to build bridges across our divides, find a path forward, and remind us of our common humanity.

Talking and Listening

My guests this week personify how the simple, yet courageous acts of talking and listening, are a key part of the solution to our country's challenges.

Joan Blades is a liberal icon. \\xa0 She co-founded MoveOn. org, the champion of progressive values.

John Gable is a a former Republican operative and once worked for three Senate majority leaders, including the current one.

On the surface, there's no way these two could be friends.

But a funny thing happened on a walk in the parking lot:\\xa0 they discovered they care about the same things.\\xa0 What they didn't agree on was a path to get there. \\xa0

But that didn't stop them.\\xa0 And the next thing you know, a friendship was born.

Their walks are now weekly.\\xa0 They routinely seek each other's perspectives on all sorts of issues.\\xa0 \\xa0

And they are working together to help bridge our country's divides.

Living Room Conversations, the non-profit Joan co-founded, and AllSides.com, the company John co-founded, have partnered with each other.\\xa0 And they are both partners of America Talks.

Join the Conversation

I invited Joan and John to join me live on Instagram to talk about their collaborative work, their friendship and their hopes for our future. That conversation is this week's podcast.

Please watch or listen and then join the conversation.\\xa0 There's still time. \\xa0

America Talks is underway through Saturday, April 23rd, the next online event.\\xa0

And this year's National Week of Conversation is April 24th through 30th, powered by the #ListenFirst Coalition of 400+ organizations, America Talks Co-creators and allies across the country.

www.ourvoicesmatterpodcast.com
www.lorellemedia.com


This podcast is devoted to empowering us all to better understand each other's differences...one story at a time.\\xa0 Emmy Award-winning journalist, Linda Lorelle, guides guests through insightful, unexpected conversations that reveal our common humanity.\\xa0 This show is not about politics per se; it is about finding a way to reclaim civility in the context of the contentious times in which we live, by sharing our personal and professional stories, in hopes that others might find a glimpse of themselves.

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