Michiganders for Civic Resilience, or MCR, is a community-driven initiative inviting citizens take an active role in restoring trust in elections and promoting civil discourse.
“I think people are wanting optimism. They know there’s political polarization out there. They don’t like it. They want to realize we’re all Americans first.”
Tonya Schuitmaker is a founding member. She’s the former Republican Michigan Senate President Pro Tempore and created the program with former Michigan House Democratic Leader Christine Greig. The duo wants to share their experiences working through differences for a common good.
“We all have usually the same shared common values and so if we listen, I think we can learn a lot. We can build bridges and realize what we agree upon is more than what divides us.”
Open to the public, the program kicks off Thursday featuring national and international speakers. The first session is Thursday morning at 8:30 at the Grand Rapids’ Gerald R. Ford Presential Museum. The second at 6pm at Ann Arbor’s Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library.
“Any person in the public that really wants and believes in fostering peaceful interactions and discussions and wants to reduce the political violence and polarization that we have in this country, I think we have the organization for them to join.”
MCR is supported by the Gerald R Ford Presidential Foundation and the Carter Center.
