The Builders Movement hosted a bipartisan event featuring a movie screening and discussion panel at the Overture Center of Arts March 30 to encourage meaningful discussion on gun violence prevention in Wisconsin.
The Builders Movement is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to promote discussion among community members across the political spectrum, fighting against the narrative of “toxic polarization” ingrained in citizens. The event featured a screening of the award-winning documentary, “The Tennessee 11,” followed by a Q&A with a panel.
“In a place as purple or as divided as Wisconsin, it is a nice thing to remember that not agreeing [with someone] is not a barrier to doing a good job to represent people while coming up with proactive solutions that make our state a safer, better place to live,” said Ali Muldrow, a host and Madison Metropolitan School District Board of Education member.
The documentary, initially released in 2023, revolves around 11 Tennesseans from different parts of the state partaking in a civic experiment organized by the Builders Movement. The majority of the events occurred in the wake of a 2023 shooting at Covenant School.
Over the course of three days, the group drafted several proposals for gun violence prevention, five of which received widespread support from over 30,000 Tennesseans after Builders uploaded the proposals online for public feedback and discussion.
The group brought their proposals to state politicians. One of the proposals passed as a state bill in summer 2024 and mandated that local education agencies and public schools provide education on gun safety starting in the 2025-2026 school year.
“Our children are in distress and in crisis because adults won’t talk to each other,” said Adam Luke, a licensed marriage and family therapist on the panel. “We have to be willing to be uncomfortable so that our children can live in a comfortable world.”
Luke, who was also featured in the film, emphasized that the widening divide in American society is increasingly affecting children, who witness contentious disputes between adults.
“It’s crazy as a therapist to start hearing sixth graders talking about who’s a Democrat and who’s a Republican in their class. The divide isn’t just widening — it’s growing more teeth,” Luke said.
