Over the last few years and through this year’s contentious campaign season, which was rooted in America’s deep divisions, there has been a coarsening in the way people talk to each other. We wanted to explore how some are trying to bridge divides. We asked our reporters across the NPR Network to look for examples of people working through their differences. We’re sharing those stories in our series Seeking Common Ground.
MOBILE, Ala. — In the sunny lobby of 3Circle Church in Midtown Mobile, a dozen people gather around a lunch table. They’re here to share sandwiches and a frank dialogue.
“Hey, everybody, thanks for being here today,” Host Pastor Micah Gaston welcomes the group. “Looking forward to a good conversation as always.”
This “pledge group,” as they call it, meets twice a month. It’s a biracial gathering of pastors, nonprofit leaders, lawyers and businesspeople — all from varying Christian denominations in this Alabama Gulf Coast city.
Gaston says the goal is to talk across those cultural differences to better understand one another.