CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) - If the presidential election has you avoiding certain people or topics, one of the speakers at Thursday’s Obama Foundation Democracy Forum offers a way to fix that.
Eboo Patel, founder and president of Interfaith America, says there are plenty of places where we encounter people who think and feel differently than we do.
“Everything from hospitals to athletic groups, I would say really lean into that, really lean into cooperating with people on concrete projects,” he says.
He encourages people to lean into spending time with those diverse opinions so that we can listen and learn from them.
The founder and president of the Chicago-based non-profit says that can look like coaching a kids sports team or volunteering at a food bank or community theater.
“That’s how community is built, when we create a space where people can bring their contribution to common table, inspired by their identity along with their story, and we exchange, and we share,” Patel says
Patel points to Team Up, a project his group runs with the YMCA, Catholic Charities and Habitat for Humanity, as a way to connect people from various backgrounds and faiths.
Listen to WBBM Newsradio now on Audacy!
Sign up and follow WBBM Newsradio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | TikTok