voters.jpg

Alabama and California voters participated in a collaborative effort between AL.com and Spaceship Media to create meaningful dialogue between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton supporters. Pictured are some of the participants. From top left are Rebecca Rocha, Ashley Thompson and Susannah Prinz. On the second row: Jaymie Testman, Chantal Clarke and Swaicha Chanduri. The bottom row: Helena Brantley, Teri Scivley and Jane Walker.

Editor's note: As America prepares to inaugurate its 45th president, 25 civically-minded Alabama Trump voters agreed to have a deep, serious, respectful conversation with 25 Hillary voters from one of the most liberal places in America, the San Francisco Bay Area. The results of our Alabama/California conversation go far beyond the usual sound bites to show the passion, values and decency inherent in America today. We're proud of these citizens, and we're proud to have hosted this conversation. We hope you'll join us for this AL.com series, running through Sunday.

By Jeremy Hay and Eve Pearlman, Spaceship Media

As Inauguration Day approaches, Clinton supporters talk of resisting Trump and cull friends from their Facebook rolls; Trump supporters celebrate; families and friendships fracture; a granite silence stands between the two camps and productive dialogue seems impossible.

In response, and to create meaningful discussion where there has been so little, AL.com partnered with Spaceship Media, a California nonprofit that uses journalism to create dialogue and engagement between communities at odds.

"The prospect of serious people turning their attention to a civil conversation was, and is, an exciting chance to be a part of needed change in America," said Michelle Holmes, vice president of content for AL.com. "We're especially grateful to the Alabama women who stepped up to engage in the kind of thoughtful, challenging dialogue that offers a model to the rest of the nation," said Holmes.

The guiding principle of the project, which brought together Alabama women who voted for Trump with San Francisco Bay Area women who voted for Clinton, is that democracy is stronger when people of opposing views can peacefully discuss their beliefs with one another.

In the end, we chose women to participate because theirs was among the most discussed roles in an election featuring the first major party female candidate for president, and while a clear majority of women voted for Clinton, her loss among white women was a decisive blow for her.

"This doesn't occur often because most people who begin dialogue typically are extreme in their opinions and unwilling to listen or understand," said Bonnie Lindberg of Huntsville, Alabama, a sales manager who voted for Trump.

To John Hammontree, managing producer of opinion content for AL.com, the project offered a chance to work between two groups he knows well.

"I've had the opportunity to live in the Bay Area but grew up in Alabama. If your friends and your news and your conversations all skew to the left or the right, then it's easy to get stuck in these silos. By having these two groups engage directly with each other, not only can we see where there are similarities, it also becomes easier to see where how these different habits and worldviews are formed."

Today marks the launch on AL.com of five days of stories arising from the women's conversation. The series includes reporting on immigration, healthcare and faith that arose from the discussions; profiles of women who participated; and commentaries they wrote. .

To start the project, AL.com and Spaceship reporters interviewed Trump and Clinton supporters. Women were asked what they wanted to know of one another, what they thought of each other, and what they believed the others thought of them.

Then, on Dec. 14, the women were brought together in a closed Facebook group where they have been talking at a feverish pace, learning about one another's communities, families, politics. They have talked about abortion and infertility, immigration and careers, sexism and parenting. They have talked about gun control, the role of the federal government, assisted suicide, the legalization of cannabis, and the value of public assistance programs.

The discussions have been freewheeling and vigorous. Some elbows have been thrown and, in moments of extreme frustration, intense arguments threatened to tip into angry exchanges. At times, women have been offended or shocked by the assertions or questions of others, or put on the defensive. But conversations have progressed, women have stayed at the table, and there have been unexpected instances of alignment or appreciation.

"Jane, I agree. Limiting use of executive powers seems reasonable," Monica Rowden of Oakland, a social worker, wrote to Hartselle resident Jane Walker, a CPA, and a forceful advocate for a smaller federal government. And in a heated exchange about welfare benefits and fraud, nurse Leah Dicus of Hampton Cove said to Oakland attorney Martina Cucullu, her chief antagonist, "I agree overall with your understanding... Thanks Martina for attempting to find out common ground on this issue."

The conversations - supported by reporting that delivered factual context - has generally defied the low and fractious standards set by the election just-past, modern partisan politics, and the derisive tenor to which online discussions so often descend. And, most importantly, the women say they have been able to explore issues in a measured manner and have come to know one another as more than just media caricatures.

"I have been so grateful for this opportunity," said Brittany Walker Pettigrew, a social services manager in Oakland. "My family and church were all liberal Democrats growing up and they talked about Republicans like the Dark Side. But in this group I've enjoyed the care and attention everyone has taken to listen and be open."

"It has made me aware that you can have civil conversations with people who voted opposite of your candidate. In the south, it was impossible - a very defensive atmosphere," said Homewood resident Teri Scivley, a private school registrar.

The Alabama/California Conversation's private Facebook group closes Jan. 15. We encourage you to start similar conversations and experiences.

The Alabama/California Conversation Project is a collaboration between AL.com and Spaceship Media, a journalism nonprofit that facilitates engagement between communities at odds. Since Dec. 14, a group 25 women from Alabama who supported Trump and 25 women from California's San Francisco Bay Area who supported Clinton have been in nearly constant conversation.