Lori Mohr Pederson and Stephen Betts

Description

[Recorded: Thursday, October 19, 2023]
Lori Mohr Pederson (63) and Stephen Betts (35) have a One Small Step conversation at the VPM office in Charlottesville, Virginia. Their conversation was recorded during Democracy360, the Karsh Institute of Democracy’s three-day biennial conference. Lori recently started a new position at UVA and began exploring diversity, equity, and inclusion in and out of the workplace. Stephen is a graduate student of religious studies at UVA. They discuss their shared conservative upbringings, but while Lori continues to identify more closely with the Republican party, Stephen describes his left leaning beliefs and his parents’ shifting views. They share stories of economic hardship, and explain how their experiences have informed their political ideologies. Both acknowledge the value of vulnerability and open-mindedness in these one-on-one dialogues.

Participants

• Stephen Betts
  
• Lori Mohr Pederson
  
• One Small Step at UVA
  

Interview By

• One Small Step at UVA