Opinion |

NCRC celebrates local and national peacemakers

We’ve made it a habit to talk about the things that are wrong with our country: the discord and divisiveness, the violence and vitriol. We wonder and worry about what the future holds, especially for our kids and grandkids.

But last weekend, my attention turned to a few individuals and organizations that are working toward a better, more humane future for all Americans. They were honorees at the annual Peacemaker Awards dinner, hosted by the National Conflict Resolution Center.

I previously introduced readers to our Local Peacemaker honoree, the California Innocence Project. The organization, which was founded in 1999, reviews more than 2,000 claims of innocence from California inmates every year.

Justin Brooks is the director of the California Innocence Project. His award was presented by Kimberly Long, who shared her own story of wrongful incarceration with the audience. In 2003, Long found her boyfriend bludgeoned to death in their home. She had been with a friend who misstated the time he had dropped off Long — but who died before he could be thoroughly questioned.

The case against Long proceeded. The first jury hung; the second jury found her guilty of second-degree murder. In 2005, Long was sentenced to 15 years to life in prison. She wrote to the California Innocence Project and in 2010, they picked up the case, believing the evidence against her was paper thin.

Finally, on April 22, 2021, the Riverside district attorney dismissed the charges against her, nearly two decades after being wrongfully imprisoned. Long told the audience she screamed with joy when she heard the news — and with full exoneration, she has begun taking back her life.

Phyllis and Daniel Epstein were recipients of our Philanthropy Award. For decades, the Epsteins have worked in service of institutions and initiatives of importance to the San Diego community. Their philanthropy is sometimes visible, as with the Epstein Family Amphitheater, now open on the UC San Diego campus. But often, the Epsteins work behind the scenes to solve intractable challenges, like homelessness and Alzheimer’s disease.

Our National Peacemaker honor was given to the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC), based in Washington, DC. BPC supports leaders with differing points of view in their efforts to enact important policy initiatives. It was founded in 2007 by four highly respected senators: Democrats Tom Daschle and George Mitchell and Republicans Howard Baker and Bob Dole.

Kelly Veney Darnell is BPC’s interim CEO. She spoke about some of the issues the center is tackling, like Social Security solvency and paid family leave. Just last year, the organization played a significant role in the development of 80 pieces of legislation — an achievement only possible through collaboration.

Darnell said that BPC is also working to bring civility back into our politics. It created the American Congressional Exchange program, which matches Democratic and Republican House members who visit their districts and meet with constituents together. Darnell noted that these pairings often lead to friendships and co-sponsored legislation.

On college campuses, BPC aims to build civil discourse, partnering with leaders to implement strategies that foster a welcoming environment for robust intellectual exchange.

Anyone who knows the work of NCRC will understand our decision to honor the Bipartisan Policy Center. Philosophically, our organizations are well aligned. As Darnell told the audience, “No matter what you believe, bipartisanship gets things done. Working across the political aisle is not a sign of weakness or an absence of intellectual purity. It is just the opposite. It puts the American people first.”

She continued, “Over my three years at BPC, I have learned the power of incremental change. We all want everything to be done overnight. Yet our great movements have all happened over time. We know that if we want lasting and sustainable solutions, we must seek out and embrace change through bipartisan collaboration.”

That idea — bringing together different points of view to solve problems — is at the core of what NCRC has been doing for 40 years now. As it turns out, it’s an idea that appeals to so many people — and why the Peacemaker Awards dinner drew more than 600 attendees from across sectors. Their political views, or age, or ethnicity didn’t matter: There was a belief in our shared humanity that cut across differences.

By the end of the night, everyone realized that beyond the contributions of our honorees, we are all empowered to be peacemakers — to ease the discord and divisiveness, violence and vitriol in society today.

In that respect alone, it was a successful night.

Dinkin is president of the National Conflict Resolution Center, a San Diego-based group working to create solutions to challenging issues, including intolerance and incivility. To learn about NCRC’s programming, visit ncrconline.com