J Christopher Collins discusses mending our union through courageous conversations

J Christopher Collins, author of Mending Our Union: Healing Our Communities Through Courageous Conversations, brings people together.

J Christopher Collins

Collins has spent the last several years facilitating meetings that bring together people from a vast selection of politics, races, genders, and class as part of his conversation group at the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco, Different Together, and has developed a toolkit for doing so.

Collins offers these 4 tips that he speaks and writes about.

• Let go of a desire to win
• Make the other person feel heard– even if you disagree
• Set a timer on it
• Don’t expect anyone to change

Who is J Christopher Collins?

He is the founder of the Different Together project at GLIDE Memorial Church in San Francisco, California. Chris is a native of Texas and a graduate of St. Edward’s University in Austin and the Robert F. Wagner Graduate School for Public Service at N.Y.U. Chris has dedicated two decades in public service to promoting justice and equality in the U.S. Since 2017 and the start of Different Together, he has created opportunities for courageous conversations among people who don’t share the same views about politics, religion, equality, race, or social class. Chris lives in San Francisco with his wife, Jen.