From Jen of Americans of Conscience.
Years ago, I showed up on a Saturday morning with zero carpentry experience to help build a community playground. The project coordinator paired me with a woman I’d never met, handing us both electric drills and a bucket of screws.
“You’re going to drill holes in the decking boards over there,” she said to me. Then to my new partner, “You follow behind her and drive in the screws.”
Straightforward enough. Kneeling in the sunshine, we settled into a rhythm and chatted while we worked. She mentioned her three little ones at home couldn’t wait for the playground to be finished.
“And it’s such a blessing,” she said, brightly. “A way to give back and serve the Lord.”
I paused, wiped my sweaty hands on my pants, and took a breath. “Yeah. I used to go to church growing up.”
“Oh?” she asked. “Are you still active?”
“Not really. It got complicated.” My heart skipped. “I came out as gay when I was in my 20s.”
My work partner got quiet.
Maybe I shouldn’t confess to a woman holding a DeWalt cordless.
She kept screwing the boards into place. Not meeting my eyes, she said, “Oh… I don’t believe in that.”
I kept drilling. I could have walked away, hurt and offended. But we had a job to do. So I weighed my options for a few minutes.
“I believe it’s the way God created me,” I said gently, trying to speak her language. “We’re all imperfect, but loved.”
“Very true,” she smiled. And we left it there.
A few months later, we happened to run into each other at the grocery store. She had a heaping cart and three kids in tow. We immediately smiled and waved hello. It was brief and wordless, but we both remembered we had built something together.
It’s simple, really. When we focus on common ground like shared goals, acts of service, or love, we can connect across broad chasms. Our experience reminded me that we don’t have to agree on everything to accomplish something meaningful.
In fact, that’s what democracy is founded on. And in divided times like these, remembering this truth is one way toward healing.
Americans Working Together (However Imperfectly)
While the signs point to a country tearing at the seams, there’s a quiet pattern beneath the noise: Americans across the political spectrum are resisting authoritarianism and working together to strengthen democratic foundations. They’re using legal drills and collaborative boxes of screws to protect what matters most.
1. Protecting Judicial Independence
In June, tucked into the federal budget bill, was a small clause with big consequences—it would have stripped federal courts’ ability to enforce subpoenas. Translation: Courts would have lost a critical tool for holding government officials accountable.
But here’s the good news: People noticed. Leaders from across the ideological spectrum—left, right, and nonpartisan watchdogs—rallied against the clause. Thanks to our Senate Parliamentarian knowledge, it was removed before the bill passed, preserving the courts’ powers.
Former federal judge J. Michael Luttig, a conservative known for his constitutional clarity, put it plainly: “The constitutional role of the president is to faithfully execute the laws.”
2. Securing Free and Fair Elections
Polls show that 83% of Americans believe voting should be as easy as possible. That’s significant. In states across the country, voters—across party lines—are backing reforms like open primaries and independent redistricting. These trends don’t grab headlines, but in these times, its worth celebrating such universally shared democratic values.
And when the Department of Justice recently requested detailed voter data from several states, both Democrat and Republican officials either ignored requests outright or pushed back, citing concerns about privacy and politicizing election oversight.
American Promise’s campaign to limit money in politics has reached bipartisan resolutions in 23 states. As founder Jeff Clements puts it, “Eighty percent of voters—left, right, and independent—support restoring reasonable limits on campaign spending. That’s how democracy begins to heal.”
3. Defending Press Freedom and the First Amendment
In June, during immigration raids in Los Angeles, federal agents injured more than two dozen journalists covering the event. Immediate outrage came from across the political spectrum. Republicans for the Rule of Law and the Cato Institute are publicly pushing back against threats and working to protect press freedom.
Trump-appointed Judge Britt Grant wrote, “No matter how controversial the ideas, allowing the government to set the terms of the debate is poison, not antidote.”
4. Reinforcing Checks and Balance
No one in a democracy—right, left, or in between—should seek unchecked power. The implementation of Project 2025’s sweeping expansion of presidential control over federal agencies has been deeply alarming.
Yet some strategic pushback has come not just progressive corners, but courageous conservative leaders. The American Enterprise Institute called the proposal “deeply troubling” and warned against efforts to “politicize the federal workforce.”
Checks and balances were built into our system of government for a reason. When voices from opposite sides of the aisle risk retaliation from an emboldened president, it’s a cause for hope that our principles can hold sway over party.
5. Renewing Civic Literacy and Engagement
According to a 2024 Brookings report, civic education programs are seeing real growth—especially among younger and older Americans who are hungry for something deeper than outrage.
With groups like Starts With Us, Civic Genius, Living Room Conversations, and Braver Angels, there is a growing movement of civic—and civil—renewal. These groups’ workshops, trainings, and community conversations are bringing together diverse people who would normally avoid talking politics at all.
These efforts don’t erase division. But they remind us that our future doesn’t require complete agreement, but participation.
Back to the playground
The experience of working with someone despite our differences is the same thread running through these five trends. Each example is evidence that there is a quiet—and growing—refusal to surrender the values that make democracy possible: fairness, respect, accountability, and responsibility.
