Dave Isay: Listening to one another may help heal our political divide

StoryCorps, the national organization I lead, launched in 2003 with a single recording booth. The idea was simple: to create a place for loved ones to honor one another with the sacred act of listening, and to have their story become part of history at the Library of Congress. In the nearly 20 years since then, we have recorded 600,000 Americans — people from cities and towns in all 50 states — making StoryCorps the largest collection of human voices ever gathered.

The good that can result from two people truly listening to each other has been on my mind a lot recently, as the divisions in our country have deepened to the point of violence. Last fall, StoryCorps launched a new initiative called “One Small Step,” which, for the first time in the organization’s history, pairs strangers of opposing political viewpoints for conversations we believe can mend the fabric of our nation. We selected Wichita as one of four cities where we’re anchoring this work.

The reasons were simple. As a nation, we are more divided than ever. A 2020 study showed about 40% of Americans view the other party as “downright evil.” In addition, Americans are increasingly open to violence across the political divide, jumping from 8% to more than 33% of people who say violence is justified to achieve political goals in the past three years.

Wichita is no different, with local research last year showing:

• Most Wichitans have felt “under attack” multiple times in the past year, and more than a third have felt people in the community with different views not only disagree with them but dislike them personally.

• More than 1 in 3 say their personal relationships have been harmed by political disagreements in the past year.

• Nearly 2 in 3 say the city is more divided now than at any point in their lifetime.

The good news is Wichita also shows us hope. We know from research we did in the city that nearly 90% of people here realize we can learn how to be better people by looking to the experiences of others. If we can prove the value of listening and talking to one another in this community, we believe we can do the same thing for our country.

That takes us back to the sacred act of listening. With One Small Step, StoryCorps is providing a way for people of opposite beliefs to come together — virtually for now, and in person eventually — to have conversations that aren’t political debates, learn about each other, and be reminded we really do have more in common than we realize.

We have matched people from different backgrounds in Wichita, facilitated and recorded their conversations. The interviews are about 40 minutes long. Already we’re hearing that after these conversations, participants want to stay connected — despite their differences.

These small steps, taken one conversation at a time, are a powerful reminder that no matter how fierce our political differences, our fellow citizens are our neighbors, not our enemies. After all, it’s hard to hate up close.

Listening takes focus, commitment and patience. It’s not easy, but it’s critical to regaining our humanity. As Dietrick Bonhoeffer writes in his book “Life Together:” “He who can no longer listen to his brother will soon be no longer listening to God either.”

I encourage you to sign up to take part in One Small Step. We want to hear your story, your background, your beliefs. And we’re not alone. Someone who disagrees with you politically wants to hear it, too.

Go to www.TakeOneSmallStep.org/Wichita.