Northwestern Civic Engagement Committee Hosts Undoing the Undeniable Divide
3/12/2021 1:44:00 PM | 'Cats Give Back
The Northwestern Athletics Civic Engagement Committee hosted a program titled, "Undoing the Undeniable Divide" on Thursday, March 4. Building off a successful Big Ten Voting Campaign from fall quarter, the committee found it important to understand the history of political polarization and strategies to navigate difficult conversations around politics.
The non-partisan space was led by Professor Laurel Harbridge-Yong, an Associate Professor in the Department of Political Science at Northwestern University. Professor Harbridge-Yong's holds a wealth of knowledge in the areas of public opinion, partisan conflict, polarization and political parties in American politics.
The event began with an interactive activity that asked attendees open-ended questions related to their experiences with conversations centered on politics and what the outcome was from those discussions.
The focus of the meeting then shifted to the different types of polarization, how those types of polarization influence one's perspective, and the role media coverage plays in deepening the divide along partisan lines. The discussion concluded with helpful tips for having productive and peaceful political conversations.
There are nine student-athletes who make up the Civic Engagement Committee. The committee's interest in holding a program on this topic stemmed from arguably one of the most divisive elections in American history and subsequently, from conversations they had first-hand experienced with a teammate, friend or family member.
Senior Mackenzie Keegan, a member of the field hockey team, mentioned that, "it was important to us to hold this event to educate our student-athlete peers on how to best engage in these political conversations in order to begin to close the divide in our nation."
In keeping with the committee's mission, the group hopes to continue to seek out opportunities that help student-athletes understand what it means to be civically responsible and navigate issues of public concern.
