America is more divided today than it’s been in decades. The roots of the current political and racial divide are deep-seated, but they’re also being exploited and exacerbated. Political opportunists and sensationalist media encourage us to demonize the “other” side and their values, so our perceptions of people outside our bubble are often distorted and don’t reflect who they really are. Manufactured division is the single greatest threat we face because when we’re pitted against each other, we can’t see what we have in common. When we’re divided, we can’t come together to address the root causes of the biggest problems plaguing all Americans, regardless of our race or who we vote for. We’re approaching an unprecedented and pivotal point in history. Our worldviews are being tested like never before. We’re discovering that people and institutions we’ve trusted aren’t serving us in ways we thought. The foundations we’ve relied upon all our lives are giving way. Yet in this time of crisis, there is also incredible opportunity. We’re not just seeing how “old” systems have been used to exploit and control us; we’re being presented with the chance to remake them in a way that works for everyone, not just those at the top. But we can’t seize this opportunity unless we come together. By unplugging from the narrative of division and focusing on what we have in common instead of what separates us, we can speak with one voice and with power. When we understand that we can be different without being divided, we can build the prosperous future we all want and deserve. Raised in a working class family in Los Angeles, Monica Harris’s drive and hard work earned her a pedigree that made her a poster child for the American Dream. After receiving a B.A. from Princeton’s School of Public and International Affairs in 1988, she graduated from Harvard Law School, where she served as an editor on the Law Review with then-future president Barack Obama. Harris spent the next 20 years carving out a successful career as a business and legal affairs executive at Walt Disney Television, NBC-Universal Television, and Viacom Media Networks. In 2002, she was named one of Los Angeles Daily Journal’s “Top Twenty Lawyers Under the Age of 40.”

At the height of her career, Harris became disillusioned with corporate America and frustrated by a southern California lifestyle that seemed unsustainable. In an effort to balance and simplify her life, she quit her job as senior vice president of business affairs at VH1 in 2011 and moved with her family to a farm in Montana. As a gay, black woman living in a red state, she made a surprising discovery: regardless of race, political persuasion, or sexual orientation, most Americans have far more in common than they realize.

Harris currently operates her own law firm in northwestern Montana where she services clients in the entertainment industry. In her spare time, she uses her life experience, skills, and unique perspective as an advocate to help others awaken to the forces that divide and distract us. Her blog, www.letsgetunplugged.com, invites readers to consider and challenge the illusions that support the institutions that are failing all of us and embrace our power to revolutionize America in a way that works for everyone, not just those at the top.

Her new book, The Illusion of Division, takes readers on her personal journey across the racial and political divide where she made a surprising discovery: America isn’t nearly as divided as we’re led to believe. In fact, we’re more alike than we think in ways we often ignore. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at [ Ссылка ]

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