I was a newly-elected legislator with hard-wired opinions about ‘the poor’. He was an advocate for the poor. We both were stepping into a highly-charged policy discussion about poverty: one of the most politicized topics in America, and the first impressions were not favorable.
All the signals of ‘left-wing do-gooder’ were flashing in my head about him. But, he probably thought about me -- no, I am sure he did -- ‘heartless, right-wing conservative’.
This is how we do it, you know -- with our first moments of sizing up and labeling. But, as we spent more time with each other, sharing our life stories and the like, we discovered a common bond and purpose in our work.
We both felt that ‘the Great American Safety Net’ was trapping people in poverty, not liberating them from it -- and the human cost of it all was devastating to our communities. Despite our very public political and worldview differences, an odd couple was born, and together we helped craft legislation directed at solving the problem. A tiny step from a public policy perspective, but a giant leap for a guy who had closed his mind to new ideas that didn't properly fit into his ideological box.
I found an alliance in the strangest of places. A radical alliance.
What do I mean by “radical alliance”? A radical alliance is simply a relationship that cuts across ideological, class, ethnic/racial, or even theological lines for mutual benefit. These types of relationships may be the secret to laying the foundation and principles that will lead to lasting transformation for our cities and communities.
It is our contention that the formation, development, and cultivation of radical alliances is the last best hope in alleviating poverty in a divided America. Alliances such as these -- whether between institutions, organizations, or individuals -- are radical, because they push against the prevailing norms, fixed ideas and established structures.
They may be new friendships with people who are very different than you. Perhaps they have values, experiences, ethnicities, lifestyles, neighborhoods, or upbringings that differ from your own.
It could be unsettling and awkward at first, sweeping you away from your protected comfort zone. Maybe even a little risky and provoke comments like ‘what would people think’ or even ‘Why am I wasting time with this person? This is beneath me. Or, ‘This doesn't add to my career or reputation if I align with them.’
By intentionally and purposefully forming these kind of alliances, we just may be able to create positive, meaningful, and lasting community change. When we unite in spite of our differences, we just may discover the deep and sometimes hidden ties that bind us together around a particular cause, a mission, or a community project.
It’s not only radical, but profoundly counter-cultural in an American civic environment that carves us all into dozens of identity/political interest groups that intentionally pit us against one another.
The stories and narratives we tell ourselves about those so-called others, about their neighborhoods or their cultures, ethnicities, or political affiliations, can all come crashing down on us when we enter into relationship and discover that we have so much more in common than those things that divide us. We have to resist that gravitational pull away from people different than us and insist that a new approach of seeing others can deliver a powerful, spiritual, and personal rebirth that delight us when discovered.
These moments of revelation can be transcendent and definitive, and have greater potential to shake us to our core, because they disrupt what ‘ought to be’ in our minds or the way things have always been. They can surprise us in their intensity and power, and beget fresh and new understandings.
As it turned out, this new relationship in my life inspired legislation to be passed and enacted. A relatively modest positive step in the grand scheme of things, but the process was in place for new relationships and new learning in how to impact communities engulfed in poverty.
The lasting truths, however, for me and my own spiritual journey have been profound, notwithstanding some painful and humbling self-reflection. It took someone from the other side of the aisle to shake up my assumptions and value judgments. I am a richer man for it, and I just bet you, he as well.
John White, Director of Partnerships, Think Tank Inc. — to learn more about John’s work, please visit