Remember when I wrote about this guy, Kai Degner? He's a progressive thinker and actor, who ran against Bob Goodlatte for Congress in the 6th District of Virginia. After the inauguration of Donald Trump and the protests that followed, Kai asked this great question for us progressives, "What's Next?" One day after the Women's March on Washington, Kai decided to hold a community event and get people talking!

What was the event?

The "Now What" Summit was an event based on an open space forum. What that really means is that the people who attended decided what the topics were, which topics they personally would contribute to, and how long the event would go on.

What topics were included?

The Summit works by having attendees create topics when they arrive. Some of the topics at this event included: creating a bipartisan community group, concerns for climate change, fact checking and the media, reproductive justice, building bridges with opposite ideology, organizing as allies of people of color, and the prevention of sexual abuse and domestic violence, just to name a few!

Who was there?

Progressives who are unhappy with Trump's agenda. We were there to discuss how we can make an impact locally and how to make sure our voices are not silenced during the next years of a GOP controlled Congress and Trump's administration.

What was accomplished?

We got organized! People found commonalities about issues important to them, exchanged phone number and emails, built new coalitions, started brainstorming events and actions, and most importantly acted on their frustrations, instead of "crying" about losing an election, like some have characterized our entire ideological group.

What did I learn?

As nice as it is to be in a room full of people who already agree with you, I learned that we must include everyone in the discussions. Democrats, Republicans, Independents, People of Color, Hispanics, women, men, Catholics, Jews. We must all be at the table. Obviously, this is MUCH easier said than done, but by listening and understanding opposing views, we can get closer to accomplishing those goals that are important to everyone.

I learned that LISTENING is the most important skill and tool we have. By listening, we don't mean agreeing with an opposing viewpoint, but instead, we mean understanding the emotion and logic behind a certain perspective. Once we understand, we can build more bridges instead of separating ourselves further and further along an ideological spectrum.

For more information:

On improving your listening skills, visit www.kaidegner.com