NORTHPORT, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – In a world where yelling into the void (or at your relatives) has replaced respectful political debate, one Northern Michigan church is offering something radical: an honest conversation with people who disagree with you.
This Saturday, July 12, Trinity Church in Northport is hosting a free 90-minute community workshop called Depolarizing Ourselves. Sponsored by the national nonprofit Braver Angels, the event aims to teach attendees how to talk politics without losing their temper – or their relationships.
MORE NEWS: GOP State Senator Wants to Look Into Medicaid Fraud
The workshop is part of a growing movement across the country to replace contempt with civility in political dialogue, especially ahead of another high-stakes election season coming in 2026.
Less fire, more listening.
Organizers say the workshop helps people “become more aware of your ‘inner polarizer’” and learn skills to disagree without contempt and ridicule. The point isn’t to convert anyone to another political camp. Rather, it’s to understand how everyday citizens can unknowingly fuel division – and how to stop. According to the Braver Angels model, participants walk away better equipped to have tough conversations without causing relational wreckage.
This Northport event is a “faith-sponsored” workshop, which means it includes additional reflections grounded in the host church’s Christian tradition. But Braver Angels stresses that its core materials remain secular and accessible across belief systems.
Michigan’s on the front lines in the civility campaign.
Michigan has quietly become a hub for this movement. Since January, Braver Angels estimates that 15 to 20 events have taken place across the state – from formal debates to brewery meetups to “Family Dinner” discussion groups. Locations have included Traverse City, Dearborn, Grand Rapids, Whitehall, Muskegon, Oakland County, Norton Shores and now Northport.
While churches are often the hosts, events have also popped up in libraries, Panera Bread meeting rooms, breweries like Homes Brewery in Ann Arbor, and even pubs like Over the Edge in Manchester. In August, a discussion on navigating political disagreements within families is planned in Chelsea, followed by a school choice debate in Manchester after Labor Day.
Attendance usually ranges from 10 to 40 people, depending on the type and location of the event.
Red, blue, and somewhere in between.
MORE NEWS: Caught in the Middle: Michigan’s Foster Kids Face Lengthy Shelter Stays
Braver Angels prides itself on being the largest grassroots, cross-partisan group focused on healing America’s toxic political divide. Every leadership role in the organization is shared by a Republican and a Democrat, and the workshops often aim for balance – especially the “Red/Blue” formats, which require 50/50 (or close to it) participation.
However, many Northern Michigan events trend “blue-heavy,” which leaders are hoping to balance in 2025. “We would like to find ways to increase Red participation and get more conservative voices into the conversation,” Traverse City moderator Terry Donahue Cousins told Michigan News Source.
Changed minds, not changed votes.
Cousins shared a success story about Brent, her political opposite, whom she met at Traverse City’s first Red/Blue workshop on September 11, 2022. Brent said the experience allowed him to truly hear the other side of the political aisle for the first time. His church later hosted a follow-up event, and he and Cousins went on to become certified moderators, now co-leading workshops together. Their unlikely alliance has become a model for what’s possible – even in politically fraught times.
To attend the Northport event, click here.
