Trump supporter, Harris supporter meet to try and find common ground
They came from opposite worlds, both hoping that a handshake could lead to a conversation that most are trying to avoid.
Lisa Disbrow, a Donald Trump supporter, and Stephisha Ycoy-Walton, a Kamala Harris volunteer, had every reason to stay apart.
But soon after the election, at the Black Panther Party's Mini Museum in Oakland, they came together, each clinging to a small but genuine belief that, just maybe, a bridge could be built.
Disbrow, a grandmother from Moraga, had spent weeks waving Trump signs on an overpass near Lafayette. Ycoy-Walton, on the other hand, organized for Harris, making calls to get out the vote in critical swing states.
Aside from appearing in a series of stories about the election, they had never crossed paths before, until Disbrow reached out.
"I thought let's go; let's continue this," she said.
Ycoy-Walton agreed, suggesting the meeting here at the museum.
"I wanted to meet you here because I wanted you to see the root of our history," she told her.
It started well enough, as they discussed their backgrounds. But regardless of their good intentions, it quickly became clear this wasn't going to be easy.
"I don't think that the values espoused in the Trump administration is anti any racial group," Disbrow said.
Ycoy-Walton's response: "Ugh."
The conversation got particularly heated when it came to education. Disbrow is a former teacher, Ycoy-Walton helps disadvantaged youth become more financially literate
By the end, there was no bridge, just a deeper divide.
"I tried to listen to her in a more accepting, neutral," Disbrow said, adding that she didn't think Yocy-Walton "responded in that same manner."
Yocy-Walton was clear she wasn't looking to make a connection.
"Do I want it to be an understanding that we kind of don't agree? Yeah," she said. "Do I want you to feel like I'm going to be your friend? I don't want to be rude, but no."
Despite their differences, both women found value in meeting face-to-face.
"We had this conversation, it had bumps, it had smooth parts, it had places of agreement," Disbrow said.
"This is a conversation I appreciate simply because it brings two opposing views to the table and lets us know we can still walk away OK," Ycoy-Walton said.
