America is at a crossroads. Regardless of who wins the upcoming election, our house is still divided. How can we, the regular people, respond?
Over 150 citizens gathered at Plymouth Church on Sunday, October 27 for a screening of “Undivide Us,” a documentary about combatting toxic polarization. The ecumenical event was also sponsored by inter-faith partners including Grace Church Brooklyn Heights, First Unitarian Church Brooklyn and St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church. Volunteers, merchants and donors across the neighborhood helped to usher, donated food and spread the word.
We began with a powerful community prayer by assembled faith leaders in our community who prayed for unity in our nation.
Neighborhood clergy gathered for community prayer for unity
The were so many neighbors gathered to watch the film that we had to pull in more chairs four times. Standing room only!
Filmmaker (and Park Slope neighbor) Kristi Kendall and I followed the screening with a Q&A, with so many thoughtful discussion points from our audience.
Afterwards, we gathered for fellowship in Plymouth’s gym for a community tea party. Strangers continued the discussion at tables, eating and sipping together and engaging in dialogue, seeking to disagree better.
What a gift and opportunity to practice how to be citizens in community with each other, regardless of who wins the election. We were reminded that disagreement is not division and that we can disagree better through discourse, engagement and self-governance and by treating our neighbors well.
I wrote an op-ed in Sunday’s New York Daily News (read it HERE) about the importance of the film, the significance of the tiny nonpartisan and interfaith event in the face of massive, partisan rallies and the historical connection of Plymouth’s Civil War history to today’s events.
Since you’ve already heard from me, I offered my Brooklyn Heights Blog spot to two voices from the next generation who attended the “Undivide Us” screening and tea party. Here is what they saw and learned from Sunday’s event.
A Reflection from Charlotte McGuire
Charlotte is a Brooklyn Heights eighth grader at Packer Collegiate Institute. She is interested in theater, debate and crafts.
As an eighth grader who is invested in the upcoming U.S. Presidential election, I thought the “Undivide Us” documentary was instructive because of its inclusive and empathetic viewpoint.
It is now just days before the election. Just in the last few weeks, I’ve seen an increase in Trump/Vance signs, and just as many new Harris/Walz signs across our neighborhood and in the news. Social media is buzzing with hashtags, trends, and viral videos relating to the candidates. It seems like everyone has an opinion about the election, and no one is willing to change it or listen to a differing view.
The media often portrays the two parties with a bloodthirsty, out-to-get-you, CNN vs. Fox News mentality. As the documentary illustrates, news outlets accentuate those with stronger opinions and louder voices for their profit. But I learned by watching the film that only 20% of Americans are too polarized. On the contrary, 80% of Americans want to understand each other’s point of view.
”Undivide Us” highlighted this difference by taking the time for the documentary participants to think about why the other side might think that way. If this compassionate approach was used on a wider scale in America, I think it would result in a greater understanding of each other, and therefore more unity.
In Sunday’s inter-faith gathering at Plymouth Church where I watched “Undivide Us” with my neighbors and New Yorkers from across the city, I saw a room packed with people in front of a pull-down projector, brimming with energy at the idea of learning something new.
Just before the screening, we prayed in community with several faith leaders that “we will not see our vote as a weapon or another voter as a threat.” Even though I cannot vote yet, I hope we can spread this message of love over hate, of respect over spite, and of compassion over isolation.
This is how we become undivided.
A Reflection From Monique Le
Monique is a dedicated accounting professional with a background in real estate and a passion for writing. Born and raised in California, she now resides in Brooklyn.
Blogger Monique Le with Filmmaker Kristi Kendall
A vibrant crowd swarmed the calm and serene neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights on Sunday afternoon. Curious locals, visitors who had read about the event online and in the New York Daily News and people of all ages gathered at Plymouth Church for the screening of “Undivide Us.” Guests trickled in throughout the film and by the time it was over, there was standing room only.
Social media, religion and other cultural divides have often triggered the emergence of polarization. As the election season comes close to a close, existential stress and tensions are at an all-time high. I think our obsession over wanting to better our country has ultimately silenced us due to fear of being judged and misunderstood. As a nation, we have robbed ourselves of the First Amendment and infringed on our own right to free speech. In the documentary “Undivide Us,” director and filmmaker Kristi Kendall faced the problem of toxic polarization head-on, seeking to find a way through the chaos we’ve created in what has become the divided states of America.
In the film, Professor Ben Klutsey, Director of the George Mason University Program on Pluralism and Civil Exchange and Dee Allsop, CEO and Founder of Heart + Mind Strategies, traveled to the most politically driven cities and brought forth controversial topics amongst focus groups who share different viewpoints. The goal was to use psychological insights to develop strategies that enable the individuals to get an understanding of the opposing view–to focus on people rather than politics. The participants realized that they share similar values and have much more in common.
Watching the film, I learned that we as Americans often believe the opposing party dislikes and disagrees with us more than they actually do. We believe we’re more polarized than we actually are—and that misconception can drive us even further apart. To solve it, we have to be able to sit down together and be open to understand diverse perspectives and ideas without criticism or judgment. In order to bridge America’s growing divide, we must seek to understand rather than be understood.
At the inter-faith screening at Plymouth hosted by several local congregations, visitors settled into their seats, eagerly waiting for the film to start. At the community tea party afterwards, the documentary was highly praised and thoroughly enjoyed by the visitors who gathered to discuss the film with Kristi, while others lined up for refreshments and nibbles.
I left the event recognizing that we must reclaim our voices and keep true to our beliefs while striving to find common ground. One conversation at a time, we can make a difference. Where there is mutual respect, there is hope for civil discourse and hope for an undivided America.
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Thanks for coming says volunteer Sadie Horton
For more information, visit the Undivide Us movie site HERE or watch the film on PBS HERE.
Copyright Caroline Aiken Koster. All Rights Reserved. X: @aikenkoster Insta: kostercaroline 75
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