Happy Friday from #OneUtah, a weekly update from the office of Gov. Spencer J. Cox. We’re excited to send out a special edition newsletter this week. Reply to this email with any questions or suggestions regarding the newsletter. And thank you for subscribing!

Disagree Better Convening: New England Edition

We brought the Utah Way to New England this week as we gathered for the first convening of our National Governors Association Disagree Better Initiative. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee and Vermont Gov. Phil Scott as well as their staffs, civic groups, business leaders and more attended. We appreciate their support of our initiative. 

We’re not asking Americans to move their politics to the middle or to check their policies at the door. And we’re not trying to avoid conflict and asking people to simply play nice. We’re actually promoting healthy conflict and the idea that we can disagree without hating each other. 

The first panel moderated by the author Amanda Ripley, “A Case Study in Good Conflict,” featured a cultural exchange between a progressive Jewish synagogue from New York and a union of corrections officers from rural Michigan. Their worldviews and experiences could not have been more different. But as they got to know one another and explain their beliefs, they saw each other as people instead of “the other.” It was a powerful example of what disagreeing better looks like.

We also learned during the “Correcting the Perception Gap, Strategy for Highlighting Commonalities” panel that we’re also not as different as we think. Our keynote address by Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior fellow in Carnegie’s Democracy, Conflict, and Governance Program, and a conversation with former Defense Secretary Robert Gates explained the dangerous consequences for our nation if we don’t learn how to disagree better. 

Here’s some highlights on what we learned: 

• We must be willing to listen and meet with others who have different opinions than ours instead of living in a bubble.

• People model their behavior after their role models, and we all need to be better role models. 

• When we start working together, beyond the surface level, we see progress. 

• The Disagree Better initiative is spreading across the country! You can check out the newest Disagree Better video by Gov. Eric Holcomb, Republican governor of Indiana, and Mayor Clint Lamb, Democratic mayor of Sullivan, Indiana here. 

• When we serve together, we break barriers and come together as a community. Governors and attendees joined First Lady Abby Cox and I for a service project at the convening, making care kits for teachers in New Hampshire. 

Freedom is a very fragile thing, and we need to defend it. By learning how to Disagree Better, we will preserve our democratic republic for generations to come. You can learn more about our Disagree Better Initiative at https://www.nga.org/disagree-better/.

Learning how to debate

As part of our NGA Disagree Better convening, we attended a debate at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire hosted by Braver Angels. 

Braver Angels is an organization that travels to college campuses across the country encouraging debate in a structured way, where participants are required to treat each other with respect and dignity. It can be intimidating having four governors attend your debate, but the students at Saint Anselm College listened and participated respectfully. We should all take this as an example. When you get to know someone, take time to listen to their opinion, that’s when you can have a productive debate. 

We appreciate Saint Anselm for hosting us! Learn more about Braver Angels here.

An evening at Harvard

We were also honored to be invited to speak at a forum at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government. We answered questions from the audience and had productive conversations with Public Policy Professor Julia Minson, students and community members. 

I explained my concerns about the polarization we’re seeing not just in politics, but on college campuses, the workplace and at family dinners. It’s difficult for our institutions to function the way they need to function in our current hyperpartisan environment. We need to be able to approach people and difficult conversations with compassion, and not automatically cancel the “other side” because we don’t agree with what they have to say. And on the flip side, we need to keep ourselves and our circles in check. Change will only happen if we hold ourselves accountable. 

Thank you, Harvard University, for such engaging conversations! Watch the full forum here.

Spirit of Service Highlight: Wasatch Wanderers Animal Rescue

Meet Wasatch Wanderers, one of this year’s Governor’s Spirit of Service Awardees! Wasatch Wanderers is a nonprofit that actively rescues farm animals that have been abandoned, neglected, and abused. Wasatch Wanderers is one of only a few organizations that rescues animals like geese and ducks and have saved more than 900 animals since their founding in 2021. Learn more about Wasatch Wanders here.

ICYMI

• Last week we visited the Utah National Guard for Governor’s Day. UTNG is made up of Utahns who are proud citizens and community servants who are ready at a moment’s notice to respond to our state and nation’s call. Thank you for your service! 

• We declared 9/11 as A Day of Service and Remembrance in Utah in remembrance of the tragic events that occurred on 9/11/2001. You can read our full declaration here.

   

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