Texans just scored three major victories for housing, property rights, and local democracy!

Thanks to leadership from the Texas Legislature and Governor Greg Abbott, three transformative housing bills are now law.

In an era of political polarization and economic precarity, Changing Work offers a hopeful and inclusive vision of what work could be. By listening deeply and amplifying voices often left out of policy debates, they help shape a future of work that centers dignity, equity, and democracy.

This brief explores the growing field of “bridging”—bringing people together across lines of difference to foster curiosity, trust, and social cohesion—and presents compelling evidence that bridging efforts measurably improve attitudes, empathy, and readiness to collaborate across divisions.

Matthew Desmond doesn’t just write about poverty — he exposes it. In Poverty, by America, he makes the case that poverty persists not because we lack resources or ideas, but because the system is designed to protect the comfort of some at the expense of others. This is not a book about the poor. It’s a book about us — and the choices we make, knowingly or not, that allow poverty to survive in one of the wealthiest nations in history.

Across history and ideologies, people have used nonviolent action to shape their societies. From Gandhi’s Salt March to the ADA movement and the Tea Party, peaceful resistance has transformed laws, norms, and opportunities for millions. This paper explores how nonviolent civic engagement works across multiple pathways—from addressing food insecurity and inequality to expanding democracy and reimagining public access.

Drawing on research by Erica Chenoweth, we show that nonviolent strategies are not only morally grounded—they are strategically effective, and invite widespread participation from people of all ages, beliefs, and abilities.

The Change Lab and Listen First are deeply aligned in mission and method. Both believe that systems change begins with relational culture—and that connection across difference is both a practice and a movement. Listen First provides vital infrastructure and national amplification for bridge-building work already happening in communities like ours.

All In Together (AIT) is a nonpartisan nonprofit organization advancing women’s civic and political leadership across the United States. Founded in 2014, AIT empowers women from all backgrounds—regardless of political affiliation—to become confident and effective advocates in their communities, workplaces, and public life.

With a deep commitment to equity and democracy, AIT brings civic education and leadership development directly to communities that have been historically excluded from power, especially women of color, rural women, and those in low-income and underrepresented regions.

One Houston is a coalition of community members, schools, faith institutions, and nonprofit partners working to build civic power for social justice across the Greater Houston area. Through grassroots organizing and leadership development, One Houston empowers everyday people to take action on issues that directly affect their lives—from education equity and housing to voter access and public safety.

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit think tank and leadership organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Founded in 1949, the Institute convenes leaders across sectors to tackle the world’s most complex challenges through dialogue, research, and action. With a strong belief in values-based leadership, the Aspen Institute creates space for bold ideas, civil discourse, and meaningful impact.

Headquartered in Washington, D.C., with locations across the U.S. and abroad, Aspen serves as a neutral ground where changemakers collaborate on solutions across lines of difference.

The biggest insight? Most Americans—what the researchers call the “Exhausted Majority”—feel alienated by partisan combat. They’re tired of being forced to choose sides. They want leaders who listen, policies that unite, and conversations that matter.

At The Change Lab, this research affirms our belief that connection is still possible, and that the majority of Americans are looking for a way forward—together.