Becca Hartman-Pickerill: Hold Up a Mirror to America’s Beauty

Jun 27

Becca Hartman-Pickerill: Hold Up a Mirror to America’s Beauty

Listen in as Kristine and Becca discuss:

The “civic genius” of America
How the wildly diverse faith traditions we hold are our greatest strength
Looking for and lifting up a broadly shared “principled world view” to unite us
Why we need to prepare for the day after the day after
Diversity is difference; pluralism is engaging those differences to a better and more beautiful community
Interfaith’s “Faith in Elections Playbook” provides a range of practical and playful ideas to bring people of faith into the election process

Key Takeaways

Bridges are built with simple invitations like, “tell me more” and simple questions like, “how did you come to believe that?”
Potlucks are both a great metaphor for America (more accurate than a melting pot) – and a great tool for bringing people together
We must “tell the story of the nation to itself” and hold up a mirror to the goodness within us.
People are hungry to serve and to connect. This is often led or inspired by faith communities.
To use play effectively, put it on the calendar. Make it part and parcel of how you do your work.
Service and shared action are “third things” that connect us, regardless of differences.

"Play is integral to how we understand the most important asset in all of this, which is humans, and our human relationships with one another. All traditions … find inherent dignity in one another." — Becca Hartman-Pickerill

More about Becca Hartman-Pickerill:

Becca Hartman-Pickerill, Senior Director of Democracy Initiatives, leads Interfaith America’s strategy for fostering a healthy diverse democracy. She is a connector between IA’s program offerings, research and learning on effective bridgebuilding, and diverse networks of civic and faith communities supporting the structural and cultural pillars of democracy. Becca oversees the Faith in Elections Playbook, a nonpartisan tool to empower religious and ethical communities to engage in election processes, from building trust in the process to volunteering for primaries and elections. She also leads Interfaith America’s Team Up Project, a partnership with Catholic Charities USA, Habitat for Humanity International, and YMCA of the USA to deepen bridge-building work across these national networks. Becca has a bachelor’s in religion and philosophy from Northwestern University and a master’s in forced migration from the University of the Witwatersrand. Beyond the office, Becca loves to spend time outside with her partner and two small children. Her American Baptist tradition guides her commitment to safeguard religious liberty and to be a loving neighbor to all.

Connect with Becca Hartman-Pickerill:
Website: interfaithamerica.org

Playbook: interfaithamerica.org/resources/faith-in-elections

Connect with Kristine:

Website: impactfullinc.com

Instagram: instagram.com/impactfull_inc

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/kristine-breese-michie

Sources from this episode:

Living Room Conversations: livingroomconversations.org

Election Hero Day: electionheroday.org

Protect Democracy: protectdemocracy.org

Disagree Better: nga.org/disagree-better

Check out www.interfaithamerica.org/magazine to read inspiring stories of everyday interfaith cooperation!

Faith communities can play a pivotal role in securing our freedoms by ensuring free and fair elections.

The Faith in Elections Playbook provides essential resources to equip your community to support the 2024 election.

Step into a world where differences unite us, not divide us. The 'We Can Build Bridges' online course is your gateway to understanding and collaboration. Enroll now and start building bridges: https://bit.ly/3vLl3PU

Our diversity is our strength.

Share your stories at https://lnkd.in/eRBucaUF and help build stronger communities all across our country. #TeamUpForUnity

Get your copy today: https://bit.ly/477hekS

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