2023 National Convention - Illinois Recap

Illinois Delegation

18 delegates represented the Land of Lincoln at the Braver Angels national convention in Gettysburg, PA, on July 5-8. They came from all across the state, from Chicago to Carbondale and in between.

A major role of delegates was to offer input and ultimately vote on the national platform:

First Principles of the Civic Renewal Movement

Quotes from Illinois Delegates Following the Convention (Click to See)

Being on hallowed ground in Gettysburg with others who share a passion for a national mission to depolarize the country was enervating and energizing. In this place, the sense of unified commitment was palpable. Very grateful to have been there and seen it all first hand.
The event was informative and energizing. I found my tribe!
Being Red, the opportunity to talk to Blues in a safe environment was awesome. The work Braver Angles is doing is outstanding and working with other groups seems to be an effective way to accomplish depolarization.
The warmth and positive energy among the delegates and convention leaders was palpable. I left there feeling honored to be among such great minds and spirits and encouraged by the unified efforts to bring about civic renewal and want to keep the momentum going.

Videos and More Available

Many of the proceedings at the convention were recorded and are available online, along with much more, at the national website's recap page.

The top video recommendations from the Illinois Delegation are:

National Campaign for Civic Renewal

At the convention the Rise for America campaign was announced. This national campaign for civic renewal is based on actions we can take to bring Americans together in constructive dialogue.

In Illinois, the action we would like to emphasize is training as a volunteer. The Rise for America campaign mentions debate chairs, but we also especially need moderators, organizers, and Zoom event managers.

We are consistently getting requests for workshops and other events, and to make them happen, we need trained and enthusiastic volunteers like you!