Rural Urban Divide Training

Sunday, September 7th from 1:30-4:30pm at the Cleveland Bradley County Public Library

Register for this FREE event Here

 

RURAL URBAN DIVIDE WORKSHOP

Our nation is increasingly divided across economics, politics and culture.  While race and class play major roles in this polarization, the divide between urban and rural is perhaps the most talked about yet poorly understood component of our divisions. 

Many progressives, liberals and Democrats often ask, “Why do these people vote against their own self-interests?” But perhaps the question should be, “Why do so many people in the countryside see liberals and Democrats as opposed to their interests, dismissive of their needs, values and priorities?”

The Rural Urban Bridge Initiative invites you to attend the “Understanding and Overcoming the Rural-Urban Divide”, a highly acclaimed two-part presentation and discussion. 

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Learn from leading thinkers and activists about the causes of the rural-urban divide and how to overcome it.

  • The five underlying causes of the rural urban divide
  • How liberals, progressives and Democrats unwittingly contribute to the divide
  • How to communicate in rural places and across the divide
  • Effective strategies for community engagement and overcoming mistrust
  • Examples of progressive economic development in rural communities and how policy helps or hinders this

WHY YOU SHOULD ATTEND
For anyone doing the hard work of organizing in Tennessee, this workshop is a must and is worth spending a Sunday afternoon to start the process of winning back rural and working-class voters in the 2026 elections. This training will help understand how to avoid mistakes of the past, but more importantly goes beyond just analyzing the problem. This training offers innovative, tested strategies that work and that help Democrats more effectively engage with rural and working class people.  Those strategies range from better public policy to community engagement to better communications/messaging.  

Also, while it may feel counterintuitive to focus on this right now when the world feels on fire,  the reality is that to defeat Trump and Trumpism, Democrats absolutely must fare better with rural and working class people. Doing the work now will help us fare better in 2026 when we will have major offices such as the Governor's election on the ballot. We know it is crucial to elect a Democrat as Governor next year, this session will help get us there.

WHAT IS RUBI?
The Rural Urban Bridge Initiative or RUBI invites all of us to think differently, talk differently and act differently in order to understand the causes of the rural-urban divide and then do something to repair it. We develop political, economic and communications strategies that build bridges and serve the common interests of all working and middle class Americans. Through trainings, policy briefings, and other strategies, RUBI is taking action to repair the divide between urban and rural spaces. Learn more about RUBI at: https://ruralurbanbridge.org/

WHAT IS THE COST OF THE TRAINING?
The cost for attendance is FREE. There is no fee or obligation to donate for the training. However, there is a cost to doing the training, and we are working to identify partners to help pay these costs. We hope other county parties will want to join the McMinn Democratic Party as a sponsor. Ultimately, RUBI is committed to providing the training in Tennessee and keeping it free for attendees. 

If you are interested in sponsoring the training please email [email protected]. 

If you wish to make a donation to help McMinn Dems with our sponsorship of the event you can donate via Act Blue, PayPal(@McminnDems), or a mail a check to:

PO Box 1366
 Athens, TN 37371