From the barbershop to the ballot box: Taking local action against polarization

Civil society organizations are crucial to peacebuilding efforts, in the US and around the world. That includes nonprofits, school boards, churches, membership organizations and charities. A number of international peacebuilding organizations launched local programs in the United States after the 2016 election revealed heightened levels of polarization and dehumanizing rhetoric that mirrored what they'd seen in countries with ongoing violent conflicts. Now we have about 10 years worth of experience, and data from this kind of work to learn from.Do Americans even care about bridging political divides? When people attend an event where they come to see the humanity in their opponents and learn how to disagree better, do they take those lessons home to their communities? Are these efforts scalable, or do they just reach a small number of people? Does it reduce polarization when you bring people together just to talk about polarization...or should there be a particular goal in mind? We attempt to answer these questions this episode with two guests.Lance Walker is a barber and a community bridge builder in rural Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He's a Black man and father of mixed race children, a veteran, a small business owner and a self-described "disciple of Christ." After building a reputation for facilitating conversations across a variety of political views at his barbershop, Walker co-lead two projects aimed at preventing identy-based and political violence in his area, organized by the nonprofit bridge building organization Urban Rural Action. He also served on a highly polarized school board. Lisa Inks  is the Senior Director of Evidence and Learning for Urban Rural Action. Previously, Inks worked at Mercy Corps for 10 years, serving in positions including Director of Conflict Management Programs in Nigeria and Director of Peace and Conflict Programs, where she led global peacebuilding and violence prevention strategy, program design, implementation support, and thought leadership. She is based in Indianpolis, Indiana. LEARN MORE:Wisconsin group defies trend by drawing more conservatives into bridge-building efforts - PBS Newshour, October 2025 200 miles from where Trump was shot, ordinary citizens combat political violence - The Christian Science Monitor, July 2024Central Pa. community group prepares plans to tackle identity-based violence in their communities - WITF, June 2023Music in this episode by Blue Dot Sessions.  ABOUT THE SHOW The Making Peace Visible podcast is hosted by Jamil Simon and produced by Andrea Muraskin. The associate producer and graphic designer is Faith McClure. Learn more at makingpeacevisible.orgSupport our workConnect on social:Instagram @makingpeacevisibleYouTube @makingpeacevisibleLinkedIn @makingpeacevisibleBluesky @makingpeacevisible.bsky.socialMaking Peace Visible is a proud member of The Democracy Group, a network of podcasts dedicated to creating a more informed, civically engaged electorate.We want to learn more about our listeners. Take this 3-minute survey to help us improve the show!