Learning to Disagree

This event will center around Inazu’s latest book, Learning to Disagree: The Surprising Path to Navigating Differences with Empathy and Respect. OneJax and Leadership Jacksonville will partner to explore actionable steps towards successful civil discourse and ways to apply them through a leadership lens. 

“Dr. Inazu’s upcoming trip could not have come at a more critical time for our country’s future. We are thrilled to partner with OneJax to explore how community members can practice civil discourse within the lens of leadership, community engagement, impact and service.” said Gracie Simendinger, CEO of Leadership Jacksonville. 

Inazu is the Sally D. Danforth Distinguished Professor of Law and Religion at Washington University in St. Louis.  He has long written about difference, disagreement and overcoming obstacles to find common ground. His teaching and scholarship focus on the First Amendment freedoms of speech, assembly, and religion, and related questions of legal and political theory. He is also the founder of The Carver Project and the Legal Vocation Fellowship. He’s a Senior Fellow at Interfaith America and the Trinity Forum. He holds a B.S.E. and J.D. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in political science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and he often speaks about his work to national audiences.  

“In his new book John talks about things we are all currently dealing with in our communities and as a nation,” said Elizabeth Andersen, OneJax CEO. “Sometimes it feels impossible to have a civil and empathetic conversation with people whose views differ from our own. Social media has allowed us to become isolated in ideological silos and it seems like we’ve forgotten that it’s ok to agree to disagree from time to time. When we can learn to move beyond our differences, we can find strength in our shared humanity and work toward a common good for Jacksonville. John’s book shares how we can start to shift the narrative around civility, respect, and understanding.”