Bridging Social Divides: How Community Coalitions Strengthen Social Cohesion in a Polarized Society

U.S. society is fragmenting across multiple social dimensions, splintering into various groups, with people becoming more isolated and alienated. Our fractured society and the erosion of a shared identity make it difficult for communities to work together to advance the collective good. Solutions are needed to help communities span these social fissures, strengthen our social fabric, and address shared concerns. While individual-level efforts to form relationships across social differences are valuable, they are insufficient. Such efforts will never reach the scale necessary to achieve society-level change. In Bridging Social Divides, we present a scalable approach that works through coalitions of community organizations to bring together diverse communities, strengthen ties between those communities, and work together to promote equity, advance opportunity, and foster individual and societal flourishing.