Hope in Turbulent Times

Saturday, August 3, 3-4pm. Join Sr. Simone Campbell in a conversation about what gives people hope in an era defined by a lot of anxiety. Building on her award-winning book Hunger for Hope Sister Simone seeks to convene people of different perspectives to learn about the local lived reality; especially in places which tend to only pop onto the national scene when things are going terribly. What is lifting people up? And where will Sister Simone find common ground with folks she meets along the way, who may have very different experiences and backgrounds than hers?
Sister Simone Campbell is a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient who you might know from her work with Nuns on the Bus. In July/August, she's traveling through smaller cities in Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin to host a series of conversations - hoping to listen and learn from people about what brings them together and gives them hope.
Sister Simone's career has been focused on caring for the marginalized; this tour is a unique extension of that, focused on the political other. We think this is an opportunity to hear from these people through an adept interlocutor - Sister Simone has led community conversations like this before in rural areas and in the South. She consistently comes across thought provoking, meaningful individuals with stories that we think are worth exploring and sharing.
Simone takes the stories she gathers and uses them to open up audiences to hear other perspectives - as she puts it, softening hearts and opening minds to a more complex reality. She's a fascinating thinker, and definitely a rare character in her ability to do this work - and genuinely get people talking and sharing of themselves.