“The nation’s poisonous divisions, exacerbated by politicians, cable news and social media, and collectively known as the outrage industrial complex, have been much lamented. Less noticed is the counterweight, a constellation of nonprofits and other organizations like the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange devoted to bridging divides — urban and rural, Black and white, L.G.B.T.Q. and straight, left and right.”
In June 2024, The New York Times (NYT) uplifted the story of the Kentucky Rural-Urban Exchange (RUX). This collaborative program began 10 years ago with the vision of RUX Co-Founders Savannah Barrett & Josh May and has since evolved into a wide circle of RUX leaders across Kentucky and later Minnesota, becoming a model for working together creatively across difference.
We are honored that this article has been promoted by so many - including by President Barack Obama, who acknowledges the importance of working together & bridging divides as we have in Kentucky.
This article was featured in NYT again in August 2024 through The Learning Network in their educational resource list "12 Ways to Teach the 2024 Election With The New York Times," which can be read here. In this resource, RUX showcases the importance of leaning into difficult conversations.
A nationally-celebrated creative leadership program using place-based cultural exchange to develop the skills, networks, and capacity of rural and urban leaders to bridge divides and make change.
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