Political polarization in the U.S. is extreme. People watch cable news networks that confirm their existing biases; Facebook offers an “unfriend” option, which encourages ideological homogeneity on feeds. A program at UVA, open to the entire Charlottesville community, aims to break down those barriers, one conversation at a time.
“We’re really trying to get out there and provide a space for people to do something that is challenging and that asks them to be vulnerable and brave,” says Samyuktha Mahadevan, program manager for One Small Step, a national nonprofit that launched at UVA’s Democracy Initiative in October. The program pairs two people from different political, racial, and socioeconomic backgrounds in a 45-minute mediated conversation. Six months after it began, more than 50 conversations have taken place, and the experience gets high marks from previous participants.
“What I learned from the conversation is don’t be afraid to have the conversations that we thought were tough. They can actually be very easy if we’re open-minded to the experience and understand the story that is presented to you instead of being closed off and judgmental,” says Marquis Rice, a self-identified conservative Army veteran who is now earning his undergraduate degree at UVA.
He was partnered in a One Small Step conversation with another UVA student who identifies as progressive.
She told me how her family were immigrants….Their American dream is you can literally come over to America and create any kind of future you want as long as you work hard enough. I had to agree with her on that.”
Albemarle County resident Lisa Medders says she signed up for One Small Step after feeling dismayed by attacks on democracy, including the January 6 insurrection. The program seemed “like a good way to channel my need to do something in a way that I could feasibly do right now.”
Medders, who is pro-democracy, progressive, and liberal, says her priority is protecting voting rights. She was matched with a conservative woman who grew up in a rural, tight-knit family.
“We shared a love of family and community,” Medders says. “The big thing we shared was wanting to help others. She now works for an organization that helps people in crisis, so we have service in common.”
Medders says the two disagreed over the meaning of the word “constitutionalist” and the process of amending the country’s founding document.
“She was very worried about how easy it was to amend and didn’t like judges legislating from the bench,” Medders says, noting the woman used phrases Medders has often heard on Fox News. “I think the constitution is an amazing document, and it’s difficult to amend,” she adds. She emphasized the good that has come from constitutional amendments, including an end to slavery and the expansion of voting rights. She says her conversation partner agreed to consider a different viewpoint.
“I didn’t change my belief,” Medders says, “but I once again was pleasantly proven wrong by what my past assumptions have been. She was lovely. Where we could have gone into an argument, we didn’t. That’s not why either of us were there.”
Mahadevan says One Small Step is based on something called “contact theory,” and the idea is that a connection created through an authentic conversation can plant seeds of positivity on a larger scale.
“It’s the idea that, you know, given multiple interactions between people from different groups, so to speak, it can lead to more positive feelings and an ability to work together better,” she says.
A One Small Step workshop takes place April 21 at Common House as part of the Tom Tom Festival. For more information on upcoming events, or to sign up for a conversation, visit onesmallstep.virginia.edu.
Courteney Stuart is host of Charlottesville Right Now on WINA. You can hear her interview with Samyuktha Mahadevan at wina.com
