My first Mule Day parade gave me hope for Tennessee community, connection and democracy

In the late 1980s, the United States shipped about 2,000 Tennessee mules to Afghanistan to support the mujahedeen rebel forces against the Soviet Union occupation.

This is a fact I learned at a recent event when I told people I planned to attend my first Mule Day parade in Columbia about 50 miles south of my home in Nashville.

Over my last 10 years in Tennessee, other commitments have kept me from going, but I was adamant to do it this year for number of reasons:

• It was the 50th anniversary of the revival of Mule Day

• 2024 is an election year and traveling from a blue county to a red county seemed interesting

• And I just like visiting new places and enjoying new experiences

Ever since helping start The Tennessean's Civility Tennessee campaign in 2017, I have worked to get out of my comfort zone to visit communities outside of the state capital, urban and rural, to observe local traditions, witness civic engagement and listen to what people have to say.

Trump backs states' rights on abortion and protects his electoral prospects and the unborn

In recent years, I have taken work and personal trips to places such as Paris, Pulaski, Sparta and McMinnville, and I have learned so much that has challenged my own world view.

In this contentious election year that follows years of growing political polarization, I think all Americans would do well to take a trip to a festival in a nearby town to get to know their fellow citizens and turn down the temperature a bit.

We need to do better about disagreeing with each other

I am a huge fan of the podcast "You Might Be Right," hosted by former Tennessee Govs. Phil Bredesen, a Democrat, and Bill Haslam, a Republican. They seek to model how to hold conversations on difficult issues and encourage their guests, the audience and each other to have the humility to accept that they may be wrong about an issue. The show title is a nod to the late Sen. Howard Baker, an East Tennessee Republican, who famously said: "The other fellow might be right."

A recent episode titled "How Can We Disagree Better?" featured Utah Gov. Spencer Cox, a Republican, and Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, on their efforts to encourage disagreement without dehumanization.

They spoke convincingly about how there are many more issues that bring people together than drive them apart. While the extremes tend to get the most attention, the challenge is finding ways to cooperate on creating solutions to problems, such as housing, which is a crisis in both red and blue counties.

I came away encouraged, but also left wondering, how do you persuade people who feel disempowered to embrace this notion?

They include people who feel unheard by their legislative or congressional leaders or college campus administration.

Sometimes the most powerful action is showing to listen and share one's perspective.

Being present with each other takes courage and intentionality. Politics is a sport that engenders conflict, but confronting injustices and challenging leaders in non-violent ways is a win for our democratic republic.

Sorting ourselves by politics only widens our divisions

During the Spencer Fane Bone McAllester law firm's annual Martin Luther King Jr. Annual Breakfast at the Tennessee State Museum on April 4, keynote speaker Harold Ford Jr., a former Democratic congressman from Memphis, decried leaders for failing to be more bold, daring and anchored in problem solving.

Ford challenged society to elevate "a willingness to listen, in terms of a willingness to know that you could be wrong in approaching challenges in rooms with people who may disagree with you, who may come at it."

U.S. Constitution offers this nation structure, direction and strong institutions

"One of the great disappointments in life, one of the great violations of the human experience, I think, is to just surround yourself with people who just agree with you," he added. "It seems mighty boring to me for that to be the kind of people we only want be around, even if the people who we disagree with or may have who harbor or say different things might say things that are unsettling or offensive."

Ford offers a lesson that continuously sorting ourselves by our politics and demographic identity only further widens the chasm that divides Americans.

I thought about those words as I drove to Columbia two days later for Mule Day. I watched a fun parade, spoke with a former colleague, hung out with a new friend, chatted with political candidates, met long-established families, and savored some delicious barbecue ribs on an absolutely gorgeous spring day.

We did not talk who was right or wrong about politics. We talked building a sense of community, which to me is essential to sustaining democracy.

I'll say it again, one of the most important things we can do is show up to be present, to listen and to share your own life experience.

David Plazas is the director of opinion and engagement for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. He is an editorial board member of The Tennessean. He hosts the Tennessee Voices videocast and curates the Tennessee Voices and Latino Tennessee Voices newsletters. Call him at (615) 259-8063, email him at dplazas@tennessean.com or tweet to him at @davidplazas.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Mule Day 2024: Columbia, Tennessee event gave me hope for democracy