Our Empathy Building Initiative’s focus on fostering empathy through stories, leads to deeper connections, a greater sense of understanding and an ability to honor and value another’s lived experiences.
We are committed to listening deeply and learning proactively from leaders in this growing field who are laying the foundation for a new kind of pluralism in our country: enabling people to build trust and understanding across lines of difference, engage in open dialogue, and recognize an individuals’ right to dignity and self-worth.
Every day, people and organizations work to build a just and representative society, whereby we center all people and work toward a common good. In practicing pluralistic values, we seek to uphold the collective, acknowledge difference, and value the individual. We know the practice of story is an important stepping stone to finding our shared humanity. Listening to another’s story and sharing our own creates opportunities to flex our empathy muscles and breakdown barriers. Stories have the power to shift the narratives society carries, and better inform public policy and the design of our nation’s systems. It is our hope, that in supporting these efforts, we will help create the bedrock on which a true democracy can stand and lift up all voices.
