FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Ansley Pentz, Purpose Power
Phone: 347-439-4484
Email: ansley@heptagonproductions.com
Hartford Town Hall to spark dialogue, disrupt American politics
Former independent gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel to provide opening remarks
HARTFORD, CT — On May 11, the SAM Party and Purpose Power will host a Hartford Town Hall with opening remarks from former independent gubernatorial candidate Oz Griebel.
The Purpose Power Town Hall Tour invites community members to connect across difference and find common cause. The Hartford event, held from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Hartford Public Library Center for Contemporary Culture, is part of a series of American town halls that inspire cross-partisan connection so that communities may craft a shared vision for the future.
Typical town halls usually focus on elected officials explaining their goals. The Purpose Power Town Hall is different: Participants will use human-centered design to foster empathy, discover common values, and commit to take action. Attendees will leave with a toolkit to apply what they learned, and more deeply engage with others in their community.
The Purpose Power Town Hall is proudly co-sponsored by SAM (the Serve America Movement), a new political party for the millions of Americans who are tired of choosing between the lesser of two evils. While other third parties are putting forward presidential candidates seeking national acclaim, SAM is committed to building a party focused on people and participation.
Their platform centers on systemic changes like voting rights, campaign finance and gerrymandering reforms that give people more power over politics. SAM and Purpose Power are united in their belief that through community engagement, a better future is possible.
Oz Griebel, former head of the MetroHartford Alliance, will kick off the event with opening reflections at 1:30 p.m.
“Monte and I greatly appreciated the endorsement we received from SAM during last year’s campaign,” Griebel said. “We believe in expanding the national and local political dialogue to engage the broader community. This is how we develop the policies and priorities that benefit the common good rather than partisan segments. We’re excited to be a part of the town hall.”
The Purpose Power Town Hall Tour comes at a critical point in American politics: Without the distraction of state and federal elections, 2019 offers a time for communities to come together and envision what they want for themselves and their future with time to make it a reality. This opportunity won’t come again until 2023.
Second, social media has a measurable negative effect on American politics — and people’s relationships with one another. Social platforms, like Facebook and Twitter, can force people into echo chambers where they interact only with those who have similar ideas, according to a 2016 Social Science Research Network study. The Purpose Power Town Hall Tour invites Americans across the political spectrum into in-person conversation with one another so that they may expand their understanding of one another’s viewpoints.
The Hartford Purpose Power Town Hall will be facilitated by Alicia Bonner Ness, author of the new book, “Purpose Power: How Mission-Driven Leaders Engage for Change.”
“Changing America’s future from one of despair to one of hope will require more than incremental changes in strategy or investment,” Ness said.
Creating spaces for everyday people to engage with their communities helps them realize their collective power. This, Ness believes, is America’s best hope to rebuild trust across partisan divides.
“When we come together to imagine the future,” she said, “we discover the power to make change.”
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Press contact: Ansley Pentz, Content Strategist at Heptagon Productions