Conversation Project: Understanding Urban/Rural Identities
We live in a time of increasing polarization that often correlates to divides between urban and rural regions in our state. This polarization is so extreme that it often seems like the two sides may have completely different experiences of the world. Join facilitator Nick Nash in a conversation that asks, How does the urban/rural divide affect the ways we relate to each other as Oregonians? What is the urban/rural divide, and how do we understand it? How does this divide affect our day-to-day lives and our experiences of being governed? This conversation is a chance to reflect on the beliefs we have about our urban or rural neighbors with a focus on discovering and abandoning misbeliefs, investigating and learning about the real differences between the urban and the rural, and trying to find things that we all share as Oregonians.
Register for this free event at ostasubs.org.
Conversation Project: Talking About Values Across Political Divides
“How can I be me without making it difficult for you to be you?” This question gets at the fundamental challenge of being in society together. We live in a contentious political world, and it’s difficult to talk about our deepest values and beliefs in safe, civil, and respectful ways. In 2021, the Pew Research Center found that nearly six in ten Americans felt that political conversations with those you disagree with are generally stressful and frustrating, as opposed to being interesting and informative. If we avoid such conversations, we lose opportunities to form a community with others that reflects our best selves. How can we learn to share our values in ways that bring us together rather than push us further apart?
From the Director: The Undertow
Adam Davis writes about what it takes to overcome the forces that pull us under.
From the Director: The Great Divide
Adam Davis on communicating and connecting across divides.
The Struggles That Unite Us
Eric K. Ward reflects on how the idea of the urban-rural divide only serves to separate us.
Posts
Readers write about Push.
From the Director: We the People
Executive Director Adam Davis on who we are as a nation, who our communities are, and how we know where we belong.
Listening over Litigation
The High Desert Partnership provides a collaborative vision for Harney County.
Supporting Urgent Conversations
Responsive Program Grants help communities across Oregon respond to pressing issues and events.
What Can Bridge the Divide?
Yoko Ikeda shares her experience with Bridging Oregon, a monthly conversation series that explores the idea that we're divided as a state and asks how we can come together to create stronger, more resilient communities.
Field Work: Bridging Divides over Dinner
In Bend, residents come together to share meals and conversation.
Posts
Readers write about Claim
What We Share
From the Director
Just People Like Us
Writer Guy Maynard on a little-known history of a Southern Oregon community during World War II where prisoners of war were more welcome than US military of color
Whose State Is This?
Journalist Brent Walth on how legal measures targeting Latino Oregonians reflect fears of change.
Firing a Friend
It's hard to be a good citizen during an election year. An essay by Jennifer Ruth
Home Economics
Using the house to bridge the public/private divide.