Tony Goldwyn and Ben Sauceda Take One Small Step

What happens when you sit down with someone who holds different political views than you?

Actor and activist Tony Goldwyn nonprofit leader and father, Ben Sauceda, couldn’t come from more different backgrounds.

But, in their One Small Step conversation, they demonstrate something many of us are craving right now: how to stay open, stay curious, and make space for shared humanity, even when you disagree.

In a time when it feels easier to retreat into our corners, this conversation shows us what’s possible when we step outside of them.

Know someone who believes in bridging divides through conversation? This is the one to send their way.

Then ask yourself: who might surprise you if you gave them a chance to speak?

Tony shared his One Small Step experience on the TODAY Show. Watch now.

Learn more about One Small Step.

One Small Step Montage

A Republican “Kingmaker” And a Civil Rights Leader Take One Small Step to Heal Toxic Polarization In Columbus, GA

“I’ll tell you what, I’ve got a whole different view of you.”

Wane Hailes and Alton Russell

For the past 20 years, StoryCorps has been traveling the country gathering the stories and wisdom of ordinary Americans and archiving them at the Library of Congress. Those stories are usually between two people who know and love each other. 

This is not one of those stories. 

Alton Russell was the long-time Chair of the Republican party in Columbus, Georgia. Wane Hailes was the head of the local NAACP. Although they knew of each other, they had never actually spoken — until they sat down for a One Small Step conversation.  

One Small Step pairs strangers with opposing political beliefs to have one-on-one conversations, not to debate politics, but to find out who each other are as people. The goal is to help reduce toxic polarization in the US — one conversation at a time. StoryCorps began piloting One Small Step in 2017 and since then, more than 5,400 people in over 40 states have participated.

One Small Step conversation partners, Wane and Alton, in Columbus, GA.

This broadcast is supported in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Originally aired July 5th, 2024, on NPR’s Morning Edition.

Cassandra and Dave’s One Small Step Conversation

Cassandra and Dave’s Conversation

Participants Cassandra and Dave recorded a One Small Step conversation in Birmingham, Alabama.

One Small Step: About the Initiative

“This country has been through so much. Its people have been through so much. Why can’t we fix this?

One Small Step is an effort to connect people so they can remember that people with whom they disagree are human beings. In doing this, we can begin to mend the fraying fabric of our nation — one conversation at a time.

Learn more about One Small Step at TakeOneSmallStep.org.

Strangers Talk in Hopes of Bridging Their Political Divides

Here at StoryCorps, we’re used to hearing conversations between two people who know and love one another.

In this story, we eavesdrop on a conversation that’s a little bit different. It takes place between two strangers, and was recorded as part of One Small Step, our new initiative that brings people together from opposite sides of the political divide.

In summer of 2018, Tiffany Briseño and Israel Baryeshua met for the first time in Denver to have this discussion.

Photo: Tiffany Briseño and Israel Baryeshua pose at their One Small Step interview in Denver, Colorado on July 18, 2018. By Camila Kerwin for StoryCorps.

Originally aired November 9, 2018, on NPR’s Morning Edition.