Events

Braver Angels workshops are typically free events as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible.  Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. To donate to Minnesota Braver Angels, go to Support a Braver Angels Field Organization - Minnesota.

Minnesota events are listed below, as well as some national events. To find additional national events, visit the Events Calendar on the national Braver Angels website. The national BA events calendar offers in-person and online events and can be searched by date and location. Most Registration links go to Eventbrite, a service that lists events and manages registrations.

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES IN MINNESOTA

June 24 - Ely Alliance Meeting: "It's a free country!"  -  Ely

Wednesday, June 24    6 p.m.

Ely Community Center

27 E 2nd Ave, Ely, MN 55731

What does that mean for balancing personal freedom with community good?

How do laws preserve or protect citizen freedom?  Freedom to. . .and freedom from. . .

What are the limits to free speech?  

What constitutes harassment, defamation? 

How does the right to publicly protest impact others?

Let's talk about it.  All are welcome!

Braver Angels members and supporters in the Ely area gather each month to have respectful conversations about timely topics.  We meet every 4th Wednesday, same time, same place, different topics.

Questions? Reach out to johnnie@ravenwords.com

June 28 - Local Community Debate: Mining on the North Shore - Two Harbors

Sunday, June 28    3-5 p.m.

Harbor Theater
616 2nd Ave, Two Harbors, MN 55616

RESERVE A SPOT   Note: This *FREE*event is to be attended in person.

Come join us for a Braver Angels debate that's as much about the heart as the head. Learn what people really think and why! You won't find such a friendly and intellectually engaging experience anywhere else! Listen to speeches for or against the resolution—and then share your own, if you feel so moved. (And there's no pressure, but we hope you will!)

Topic: TBD

Resolved: TBA

Note: This resolution does not represent Braver Angels' stance on the issue. We will alternate between speeches in support of and against the resolution.

Tickets are free, but donations help. Use promo code BRAVER during registration to get a free ticket. Donations support Braver Angels, 501(c)3.

A Braver Angels debate is about the heart as much as the head. It's a highly structured conversation in which a group of people think together, listen to one another carefully and with curiosity, and allow themselves to be touched by each other’s ideas. It's not a political debate, nor is it like your high school debate club. It's our own depolarizing debate system, and it works best when we embrace our uncertainty and parse the shades of grey together. When we manage to do this, we walk out of a Braver Angels debate a little closer to the truth, more aware of the sincere and sympathetic feelings of our political opponents, with our relationships a little stronger.

To learn more about our debates, you can take a look at our quick start guide and this video about the spirit of a Braver Angels Debate. For further information, including to find additional upcoming events or view recordings of some of our past debates please visit: https://braverangels.org/what-we-do/debates/.

This debate is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible. Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. You will have an opportunity to make a donation as you register, if you so choose. Your choice will have no bearing on your registration.

Braver Angels events may be recorded, and may be shared with the news media or used in Braver Angels publications, including web pages. Participants who object to being recorded may notify the organizer.

Questions? Contact Katya Gordon at katyagordon69@gmail.com, Sam Rechek at sam@braverangels.org or unzei005@gmail.com

July 9 - The Declaration of Independence and Liberty, Then and Now: A Community Conversation - Winona

Thursday, July 9  11:30-1:30 CDT
Minnesota Marine Museum
800 Riverview Drive, Winona, 55987 

Register Now   Free

The Minnesota Humanities Center presents a community conversation in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding and to identify shared values as Minnesotans. Free to attend. Registration required. Lunch provided.

July 9 - July 1776-2026: The Declaration Then, Now, and in the Future - Minnetonka

Thursday, July 9  6:15-7:45 p.m.

Ladyslipper Room, Ridgedale Library

12601 Ridgedale Drive, Minnetonka, MN 55305

RESERVE A SPOT 
*Tickets are Free. Donations are welcome to support Braver Angels, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that envisions an America where courageous citizenship is the honored norm in civic life.

As America approaches its 250th birthday, the United States Declaration of Independence still sparks big questions: What does liberty require? What does equality mean? Who decides what “the pursuit of happiness” looks like in a divided nation?

This 90-minute Braver Angels session invites participants to revisit the Declaration not as a relic behind museum glass, but as a living civic document that continues to shape our public life, our disagreements, and our shared future.

Together, participants will explore the ideals, contradictions, aspirations, and unfinished work embedded in America’s founding vision — not through debate or persuasion, but through reflection, curiosity, and respectful conversation across differences.

At a time when many Americans feel pulled apart, this workshop models Braver Angels’ commitment to courageous citizenship: listening carefully, speaking honestly, and remaining connected even when we see the country differently.

By the end of the session, participants will:

• Engage the Declaration of Independence as a living civic document, not simply a historical artifact

• Better understand why fellow Americans interpret founding ideals in different ways

• Build confidence discussing foundational civic ideas across disagreement

• Reflect on the promises — and tensions — at the heart of the American experiment

• Leave with a renewed sense of shared ownership and responsibility for the nation’s future

Courageous citizenship is practiced, not proclaimed. We inspire and equip Americans to practice courageous citizenship across political differences through skill building, convening and collaborative action.

Questions? Ask Tom Niedzielski at thomasniedzielski@braverangels.org

July 15 - Skills for Disagreeing Better - Minneapolis

Wednesday, July 15  6:30-8 p.m.

Lake Harriet United Methodist Church

4901 Chowen Avenue South

Minneapolis, MN 55410

RESERVE A SPOT
*Tickets are Free, Donations Help Use promo code BRAVER during registration to get a free ticket. Donations beyond the free ticket support Braver Angels, 501(c)3.

In this polarized time, we lack basic understanding of why people on the other political side hold their beliefs. We don’t see them as they see themselves–their core values and central concerns–but instead as we choose to see them. We are tempted to regard our own side as principled and the other side as self-interested.

When we try to communicate across this gap, we often lack the skills for listening carefully, looking for common ground, and sharing our perspectives in ways that connect rather than create more misunderstanding.

We can learn to disagree better in polarized times, which means accurately seeing where we differ and where we share common ground.

Goals

• More understanding of the values and concerns of people who differ from you politically

• Better skills for listening in a way so that the other person feels heard

• Better skills for sharing viewpoints in a way the other person might hear -- even if they disagree

Questions? Contact Melinda Voss, mvoss@braverangels.org

July 16 - The Declaration of Independence and Liberty, Then and Now: A Community Conversation - Edina

Thursday, July 16        12 noon-2 p.m.

Edina Senior Center
5280 Grandview Square, Edina

The Minnesota Humanities Center presents a community conversation in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding and to identify shared values as Minnesotans. Free to attend. Registration required. Lunch provided.

REGISTER   Free

The Minnesota Humanities Center presents a community conversation in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding and to identify shared values as Minnesotans. Free to attend. Registration required. Lunch provided.

NATIONAL EVENTS - ALL ONLINE

July 11 - Skills for Disagreeing Better  *ONLINE*

Saturday, July 11    1-2:30 CDT

RESERVE A SPOT   
This workshop is a free event brought to you by Braver Angels as part of our mission to depolarize America. Braver Angels is a 501(c)(3) non-profit. We invite you to consider a gift to Braver Angels; all donations are tax deductible.  Your support will allow us to offer more workshops and debates with the ultimate goal of uniting America. Click here to donate.

In this polarized time, we lack basic understanding of why people on the other political side hold their beliefs. We don’t see them as they see themselves–their core values and central concerns–but instead as we choose to see them. We are tempted to regard our own side as principled and the other side as self-interested.

When we try to communicate across this gap, we often lack the skills for listening carefully, looking for common ground, and sharing our perspectives in ways that connect rather than create more misunderstanding.

We can learn to disagree better in polarized times, which means accurately seeing where we differ and where we share common ground.

Goals

• More understanding of the values and concerns of people who differ from you politically

• Better skills for listening in a way so that the other person feels heard

• Better skills for sharing viewpoints in a way the other person might hear — even if they disagree.

July 25 - Depolarizing Within   **ONLINE**

Saturday, July 25  1-4 CDT

RESERVE A SPOT 
*Tickets are Free, Donations Help Use promo code BRAVER during registration to get a free ticket. Donations beyond the free ticket support Braver Angels, 501(c)3.

A free online workshop to become more aware of your "inner polarizer" and learn methods for disagreeing without contempt and ridicule

Note: This event is to be attended online.

Polarization can be driven by how we talk with like-minded people about those on the other side. Too often, we stereotype, dismiss, or ridicule our fellow citizens who support the other political party, its leaders, and its policies.

This *FREE* 3 hour workshop is offered online over Zoom and teaches participants:

• How to be more aware of their own "inner polarizer"

• How to be critical without demonizing, dismissing or stereotyping large swaths of the population

• How to constructively intervene in polarizing social conversations with like-minded people

Who can come? Anyone interested in examining their own inner polarization and learning strategies to disagree without condemning or ridiculing others.

Please be on time. Because this is an interactive workshop, latecomers may not be admitted.

Questions? Contact Paige Swartz, paige@braverangels.org

For more national online opportunities, visit Braver Angels Events Calendar.