Bucks County, USA

("This Land Is Your Land" playing) PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ This land is your land ♪ ♪ This land is my land ♪ KITTY: I want to be seen just as a person who believes in her community.

PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ To the New York island ♪ DEARMOND: I want to be seen as somebody who offers forgiveness and grace.

PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ To the Gulf Stream waters ♪ SMITH: I want to be seen as someone who truly cares about kids.

PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ This land was made for you and me ♪ VLASBLOM: I want to be seen as genuine.

PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ As I went walking ♪ I want to be seen as a problem solver.

Honestly, I just want to be seen as a person.

I want to be seen as someone that's open-minded.

I want to be seen as compassionate.

I still want to be seen as a neighbor.

PHOSPHORESCENT: ♪ I saw below me ♪ ♪ That golden valley ♪ ♪ This land was made for you and me ♪ ♪ ♪ EVI: I think someday people are going to be reading about these times.

VANESSA: I mean, we're living through history.

EVI: We're making history.

We desperately need to be able to come together.

CROWD: Six!

Five!

Four!

Three!

SMITH: We should be aiming for a world where... (crowd cheering) ...everybody has empathy for the differences that, that people may have.

You know, I think it's very easy to paint pictures of people that are not accurate.

I think the whole world is feeling this sense of unease.

What do we hold on to?

Like, the ground is shifting beneath us.

What do we hold on to, right?

AARATI: At least I know this is the peak of the worst it could be.

It's the whole story about, strong men make good times, good times make weak people, weak people make bad times, bad times make strong people, right?

♪ ♪ VANESSA: Your mom is just such a lovely person.

EVI: Aw.

VANESSA: And I wish her and my dad would see eye-to-eye more.

They're so similar.

They're, like, such hard workers.

They're always trying to, like, protect their kids and stuff.

I feel like they'd do something cool together.

EVI: I don't think they're going to be friends.

I'm just grateful that they let us be friends and then leave our friendship be, and, like, they support our friendship.

(both laughing) LILY: My life has been stripped away from me.

I hope that, every day, that you think about my face and how you have utterly failed me.

But hey, at least you make an amazing college essay and first A.P.

Art piece.

Thank you.

(cheering and applauding) It feels like the next chapter of, like, a battle.

Like, the things that are happening... Don't stop.

- ...don't stop.

The Hai-- there was no evidence ever of any pet being eaten by anybody in Ohio... - That's not true.

...let alone a Haitian.

- That's not true.

Okay, show me the evidence.

- Um, and... Who, whose pet got eaten?

I'm so sorry, I did not arrive here... No, but Vonna, you can't... ...prepared to pull out this information... No, it's not, it's not a question...

Because I didn't know, I didn't know this is how it was going to go.

If you're gonna say it's true... I need a glass of water.

Excuse me, I need a glass of water.

I'm getting dried up.

♪ ♪ We talk very often about, you know, do we need to think about moving?

DONTE: We feel safe in these four walls.

It's when we go outside in this community that we don't feel safe.

Okay!

♪ ♪ DEARMOND: What is going to happen to our children?

What they are observing... (voice breaking): ...what is the legacy that we adults are leaving for them?

♪ ♪ I'm Vanessa.

- And I'm Evi.

And this is the story of our town.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ NEWS ANCHOR: The Central Bucks School Board has made headlines for months now.

REPORTER: The November 7 school board election had five open seats and a lot at stake.

We're still waiting on some numbers from Central Bucks, so I need everyone just to be patient.

As soon as we have the results, we'll let you know.

Are two and seven in yet?

I haven't heard anything about two and seven yet.

(people talking in background) But it's looking good so far.

(people talking in background) SANTARSIERO: Ladies and gentlemen!

MAN (shouts): Hey!

SANTARSIERO: Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please.

♪ ♪ Steve's numbers look good.

Dana's numbers look good.

By the way, Leigh says that the one you sent me that you're down 76... AARATI: Yeah, that's the one.

...that's your hardest one.

AARATI: Good.

VLASBLOM: Oh wait, wait, mail-in is 200 to 50?

We won in person at that, but not by a large margin.

(people talking in background) How can every single independent have voted Democrat?

All right, bye.

Dear God.

(people talking in background) SANTARSIERO: To all of the haters, this is what democracy looks like.

(cheering) NEWS ANCHOR: The Central Bucks School District electing a new board with a full sweep.

NEWS ANCHOR: Voters changed the balance of power on the board from six Republicans to six Democrats.

SANTARSIERO: All right, Karen, I'm going to start with you.

Why do I always have to go first?

(crowd cheering) SANTARSIERO: Rick Haring, come on up.

Come on!

Let's go!

(crowd cheering) Let's go!

Yeah, I won, I won, I won.

WOMAN: I had no idea.

(continues indistinctly) (laughs) SANTARSIERO: I would like to say this is a victory for the Democratic Party, and it is, but it's really a victory for the kids of the Central Bucks School Board.

(crowd cheering) (chanting): Sweep!

Sweep!

Sweep!

Sweep!

We've never had a Democratic majority, ever.

Not once.

This is a (muted) deal.

It's a (muted) deal.

WOMAN: We did it.

I just haven't stopped crying.

WOMAN: I know.

The tears are flowing.

WOMAN: I know.

It's going to be-- everything changes now.

Everything changes.

♪ ♪ (birds twittering) SMITH: I haven't even processed all of it yet.

The moment I start thinking about it, I just can't stop smiling, so... (laughing) Forgive me there.

AARATI: It was a shock, right?

Like, wow, we lost all five seats, you know?

Because at least we thought at least a couple of people would keep their seats, but no one did.

We spent a lot of money.

It's, like, maybe we just shouldn't, never should have done it.

At least then, like, we wouldn't have been associated as, like, the bad guys.

But it's just, like, we were doing it to help the community.

It wasn't to, to try to throw our weight around.

Everyone was kind of upset, but then, like, "All right, well, time to go to work the next day," you know?

What can you do?

We lost.

PAUL: I got up today after a big loss the same way I got up after a big win in 2021.

Politics is something I do.

I enjoy doing it, I enjoy being involved.

Politics does not define me as who I am.

We know we got beat.

We gotta figure out what we're going to do tomorrow.

♪ ♪ LEYGERMAN: As much as... Obviously, it's political, just because it has to be, unfortunately, but for us it wasn't about the politics of it all.

- No.

Like, it wasn't, like... I know this is kind of, like, silly to say, but it wasn't, like, Democrats versus Republicans.

It was more of, like, the ideologies... Yeah, it was, like, MAGA, almost.

It was, like... - Yeah.

It was, like, a microcosm of MAGA in our community... - Right.

...that we had to push back against.

Moms for Liberty.

- Moms for Liberty.

Who are MAGA, essentially.

- Right.

This, like, religious extremism and... They're like a new, new wing.

New wing, right, exactly.

(people talking in background) REPORTER: More controversy tonight at a local school district that is no stranger to making headlines.

The meeting had to be moved here to the Central Bucks High School because there wasn't enough room at the administration building, so many people were expected to attend and actually did turn out.

REPORTER: Now, the new board does not take effect until December 4.

REPORTER: Residents of the district's many idyllic towns gathered to voice their support for or displeasure with the outgoing Republican-majority board.

(people cheering and applauding) (cheers and applause continue) LEYGERMAN: Thank God democracy prevailed and we voted out this corrupt board majority.

Good riddance.

(audience cheers and applauds) WOMAN: It is time to find an educational alternative for your kids.

At this point, leaving your children in public school is like sending them to the front lines of a war and hoping that they survive... (audience exclaiming) (gavel banging) HUNTER: Quiet!

You will respect her.

- Leaving your kids in public school is like sending them to the front lines of a war and hoping they survive the incoming fire.

Listen to me for one second.

(audience applauding) Her husband had yielded his time to her.

She had six minutes-- y'all decided... MAN: I'm yielding it to Vonna.

And I agree with my wife, by the way.

DEARMOND: Yep.

MAN: Thank you.

HUNTER: Please, let me run the meeting.

That's, that's what I'm here to do.

(audience exclaiming) VLASBLOM: It's okay, let them show their true selves.

MAN: Great.

I wanted to say thank you to our current, current board majority, who fought for my kids.

To the public, if you want to get your children out of the school, we have a vibrant, supportive homeschool community.

(audience applauding and jeering) VLASBLOM: Excuse... I will have my time.

WOMAN: It's up.

WOMAN 2: It's up.

DEARMOND: We welcome... MAN: Let her!

(gavel pounds) HUNTER: You'll let her finish.

DEARMOND: We welcome traditional... (audience exclaiming) HUNTER: Excuse me!

I'll wait, and so will she.

Thank you.

(man speaking indistinctly) DEARMOND: We have hybrid schools... WOMAN: Excuse me!

- ...and then we'd welcome you.

You're, feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions.

(audience cheers and applauds) You, you people in this room... (audience applauding) ...that are interrupting my use of First Amendment rights... ATTENDEES: Time's up!

...you're the problem in this community.

You are the problem in this community.

(audience cheers and applauds) Shame on you.

You are... I had never experienced something like that before in all the board meetings I've been to, and you know I've been to, like... All of them.

- ...almost every single one... - Yeah.

...since COVID, since we were allowed to, to, you know, to come back in person.

And, um, that was the very first time I made public comment and I felt unsafe.

I just, it, that, I've not felt that yet... - Mm-hmm.

...in our, in our community, and that definitely has changed things for me.

It was very ugly to me, and dispiriting.

And again, it just felt like I'm watching my community tear at its own fabric.

(people talking in background) HARING: I think there needs to almost be, like, a reset.

The past two years have been so tumultuous, you know?

And I think people generally have that, like, heightened sense of, like, fear and, and anxiety, and I think, you know, what would be really good for us to do is, is almost, like, you know, kind of reset the tone a little bit.

The whole idea of bringing civility back and, and making it so you can have conversations and, and good debate, and common ground, that, that's what we need to do.

GRINCH: Christmas spirit?

Who has Christmas spirit now?

(crowd cheering) WOMAN: I think all these people that came out here tonight have Christmas spirit.

KITTY: I don't know how we're going to try to put it back together.

Advocates for Inclusive Education is going to be having a holiday party with candles, cookies, and cocoa for anybody who needs a little light at this time of year.

...later, and then I... I love your beret.

- Oh, gosh, I'm just trying to keep warm.

- And the pink scarf.

You look so awesome.

- Oh, geez, thank you.

Come on in and have some food, and then you can make a candle.

DEARMOND: We have to get together and talk to each other, not at each other.

Kitty, she and Kate got this AFIE group together, and they desired, they desired to have those kinds of interactions.

They had a sort of Christmas thing, this-- or holiday, I guess, because it was, like, you know, it's inclusive.

So I said I would come, and I was really-- I'm already socially, like, I don't enjoy parties and things like that, especially if I don't know anybody.

BROCK: Mm-hmm.

DEARMOND: And, oh, I'm walking into a room full of people that might hate me.

You want to get it started, yeah.

Do you need a tutorial?

- I don't think so.

Yeah, thank you, but I'm, like, impressed with everybody's creativity.

- I know.

KITTY: Look, do you see the corn?

DEARMOND: Yes, I just noticed that.

KITTY: and the little... DEARMOND: Right away, both Kate and Kitty were so warm, and I really felt cared for.

And another lady who comes to the board meetings, who, we happen to be on opposite sides of the political spectrum, you know, she, she came up and gave me a hug and was so sweet, and it, and it, it... It disarmed me, because I definitely went in there going, "All right, who in here hates me, and, and who, "who is going to be, um, kind, and see that I'm not evil, I'm not bad?"

KITTY: Hi, everybody.

(others greeting) I just want to say it was such a pleasure to see everybody here.

This is exactly what we hoped, only even better.

You guys have just been awesome to come and see and share this time with us.

And we wanted to make sure... I hope we can have more events that are inclusive and friendly and kind and that we just enjoy each other's company.

Yeah, 'cause I, I got it out of the library, and then I, I got it on Audible, but I love to hold... (people talking in background) WOMAN: This is just the community saying, "Thank goodness."

We are here, just very happy.

(cheering) (music playing) NEWS ANCHOR: A major shift of power in Bucks County.

The new Central Bucks School Board held its first meeting tonight.

(music playing, people talking in background) VLASBLOM: Did you watch or attend the meeting?

HUNTER: No.

- Yeah.

No.

- I didn't, either, but I did hear there was, like, a big tailgate in the parking lot.

You know, you ran on common sense and compassion and, you know, quieting the chaos, but your very first move is to have a big tailgate, and that's supposed to be healing?

SMITH: I'm never going to forget how I felt in the minority and the feeling of powerlessness I had, and embarrassment at points, of being made fun of and left out of things.

I'm not going to do that to other people.

(audience cheers and applauds) HARING: I think there's a perfect opportunity here to extend that proverbial olive branch, making sure we don't have that same, you know, feeling of us versus them.

MAN: I, Rick Haring... I, Rick Haring... ...do solemnly swear... ...do solemnly swear...

(audience cheers and applauds) SMITH: I chose to be sworn in on a stack of banned books... (audience cheers and applauds) ...some of them that were banned in Central Bucks and some that were from elsewhere.

I will now turn the meeting over to our new board president, Karen Smith.

(audience cheers and applauds) SMITH: Our incoming board has several important priorities as we begin our terms, and last week, we requested that several items be added to tonight's agenda in order that we could begin our work.

The previous board leadership refused to add the items to the agenda, so we will be making two motions tonight to amend the agenda for these items.

I shared these items with all board members prior to the meeting, as well as with the media, to be as transparent as possible under the circumstances.

Our first motion will suspend the textbook and library book policy and the neutrality policy.

We plan to revise these policies and we want to take our time and hear from all stakeholders.

The suspension grants us this time.

DEARMOND: Point of information, Madam President.

I have a question about the Sunshine Law.

The public did not have 24 hours' notice for this.

When I looked up the Sunshine Law, 712, and it talks about relating to a potential emergency, that this is when something can be added to the agenda that has not been told to the public within 24 hours, these policies are not an emergency, so therefore it doesn't fit with that.

Right... WOMAN: Sit down... That's my point of information.

How do you, how do you address that?

SMITH: The reason we had a question is the Sunshine Act.

- ...without the public?

The Sunshine Act does say that you're not supposed to change the addenda, agenda within 24 hours of the meeting, but there are some, uh, exclusions that you can use, and we felt that we were able to use one of those exclusions to, to move forward with, with changing the, with, with the agenda.

SCISCIO: This is an issue-- I am concerned about Sunshine.

And January is a whole new meeting with a whole new agenda.

I'm trying to understand why it's being rushed at the risk of violations occurring.

SMITH: It's not, it's not being rushed.

HARING: Can we move on?

SCISCIO: Well, it's on the record-- thank you.

Thank you.

SMITH: All those in favor?

MEMBERS: Aye.

SMITH: Any opposed?

SCISCIO: Opposed.

CANNON: Opposed.

PEPPER: Opposed.

SMITH: The motion passes six to three.

(audience cheers and applauds) BRETT: Scotch knows to sing.

You ready to sing?

Oh, he's so ready-- oh, he's perfect.

Ready?

Oh, I get a hug!

- He's... Like, this one is not going down.

I need a, I going to grab one.

- Okay, quickly, quickly.

Okay, I'm doing... - We haven't used this menorah yet, that's why.

LILY: The climate, ever since we first met, it's had its ups and downs.

It's like a little bit of a roller coaster.

BRETT: Bonsoir.

MINDY: All right, you ready for Hanukkah?

BRETT: Commençons.

LINDSEY: He's here.

BRETT: All right, go.

MINDY: Okay.

LILY: All right.

BRETT: Ready?

LILY: Three, two, one.

ALL: ♪ Baruch atah, Adonai ♪ ♪ Eloheinu, melech ha'olam ♪ LILY: Ever since the new school board took over, I definitely have been less involved with things, happily.

I've kind of distanced myself, which I probably would do anyways, even if it was the other, like, side, in quotations, that got elected.

You know, I just realized, you know, it's not really for me.

ALL: Happy Hanukkah!

Can't put him down.

Where do we go?

LILY: I think today, in terms of my activism, I'd say I'm more behind the scenes, not so much, you know, outward as I used to be.

Oh, my gosh, okay.

LINDSEY: Can you see?

Can they see?

MINDY: Yeah, they can see, they can see, go ahead.

Give him his present.

LINDSEY: Oh, that's not it.

ALL: Oh!

LILY: Yay!

You know, being in Central Bucks has made me realize there's so much more out there that I can experience.

LINDSEY: Oh, my God!

And I think, you know, the best activism I can do is to just, you know, live my life and succeed.

(all talking indistinctly) It's an organizer for, like, all my stuff.

- Ooh!

For your makeup.

- Especially for, like, college and stuff.

- For everything else you got already.

- For college.

Thank you!

- You're welcome.

LILY: My vision for a better future is where, you know, LGBTQ people can just forget that they're LGBTQ.

(others talking in background) That might sound weird to people right now, but just being normalized in a society is so important.

You know, I'm just like any other kid.

My family is like every other family.

Go get some sleep.

LILY: And I honestly think, just, people listening to our lived experience, I think that matters the most to creating a better future.

I love you.

(people talking in background) ("We Wish You a Merry Christmas" playing on piano) MAN (on speaker): Hello, Perkasie!

Welcome to the 114th Christmas tree lighting, officially the oldest in the United States.

(music continues) ADRIENNE: School board elections happened in November.

Here in Pennridge, the Democratic candidates did win all of the open seats, and I'm still not optimistic.

(laughs) Because, because I haven't seen change.

(people talking in background) We flipped the board, Vermilion is gone, but the discrimination is still there.

When we go and we talk to students now, I, I still hear from them that, "I'm afraid to walk down the hallway.

I'm afraid to go into the bathroom."

You know, I talk to Black parents all the time that are having issues.

CROWD: Three!

Two!

One!

(cheering) ADRIENNE: The culture here in this community, it's strong, and it's rooted very deeply, and it's going to take more than just one turn of the cycle to break that up.

(music playing in background) DONTE: We want our daughters to have a great education.

We want our daughters to feel comfortable in this community.

But when you ride five, ten minutes from our house and you see a Confederate flag, how, how comfortable does that make you feel?

I'm just shocked that we still have to fight this hard.

ADRIENNE: We talk very often about moving.

And at the time that we are going into a presidential election where topics like this really heat up very quickly, that does create concern.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: As the year comes to a close, we look ahead to 2024, which is set to bring a world of challenges.

More than half the global population is heading to the polls in a groundbreaking year of elections.

We see these numbers, illegals crossing the border.

It looks like an invasion of some sort.

NEWS ANCHOR: Right now police looking into the disturbing trend in white nationalist propaganda.

The Idaho House has passed a bill that would make it a felony to provide puberty blockers or hormone treatment to transgender teens under the age of 18.

NEWS ANCHOR: A new front in the war on religion in Washington State: a fifth-grade student wanted to start an interfaith prayer club and was promptly denied.

I'm gravely concerned about our country today.

Our politics today is poisonous, and it, and it's eating away at the fabric of, of our society.

♪ ♪ (people talking in background) So, I don't think three or even six minutes is enough time to touch on all the ways in which this new board majority has been breaking Sunshine Act and in general misusing their authority and taxpayer dollars, but I'm gonna... SMITH: We've done all we can to try and bring the folks in the board minority along, include them.

So far, it's not gone very smoothly, I'll admit it.

I'm not sure what else I can do.

SCISCIO: I have been thinking and praying a lot on how to address my concern, concern that the public isn't really privy to.

I'm concerned... SMITH: At our February meeting, Mrs.

Sciscio said she had some comments to make and began to speak.

MEMBER: Are we even allowed to discuss... I mean, this is a legal... SCISCIO: I'm not discussing any legal... I'm not discussing the content of any legal matters.

I'm discussing how this board is being treated.

That's what I intend to... SMITH: It quickly became apparent that some of the information that she was sharing was not information that should be shared publicly.

May I interrupt for a second?

- No.

I, I believe... HARING: Excuse me.

I believe... I would ask the board to recess if they're gonna continue this conversation.

(members talking) MEMBER: Motion to recess.

SMITH: She chose to keep going.

So at that point, I adjourned the meeting and the new board majority left the dais and we went into the other room.

WOMAN: Wow.

You can-- we'll stay and listen, Mrs.

Sciscio.

WOMAN: You guys can leave.

- Yes.

WOMAN: We'll stay.

DEARMOND: We'll stay.

WOMAN: We're staying, Lisa.

WOMAN: Goodbye.

WOMAN: So inappropriate.

I cannot serve on a board with people who will do anything to further their political... SMITH: Then you can submit your resignation.

MAN: Well, then, you've got a choice.

That's the plan, Karen-- you got, you won.

I'm behind you-- I'm behind you, Lisa.

WOMAN: Yes, we're behind you, Lisa.

SMITH: Lisa and Deb Cannon, they kept talking, criticizing the board, new board majority, and, you know, alleging some, you know, improper conduct on our part.

I, I find it absolutely unscrupulous, unethical, that this board majority refuses to listen to the minority.

SMITH: And then, eventually, both of them stated publicly that they were going to resign.

WOMAN: I'm sorry.

- I'm done.

LELA: That was pretty awful to me.

Like, our people were in the minority for those two years.

They were strong.

Their voices were drowned out over and over, but they showed up because they were voted in and because they were representing the constituents who put them there because they believed in them, right?

And they were there to fight for our kids.

And, what, two meetings in, their people quit?

Like, you know, it was such a moment of weakness to me.

PAUL: In regards to Lisa and Deb resigning, I think there's two choices.

You could stick it out the way that Pepper has done to, to be someone to kind of point out some of these things, or you can sit there and go, "This is too much."

♪ ♪ If I was in that position, I'm not sure what I would've done.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ADRIENNE: So, hi, everyone.

Welcome, on behalf of the NAACP Bucks County.

My name is Adrienne King.

I've been president just for about 60 days.

(audience laughs and applauds) The NAACP is the oldest civil rights organization.

Now that I've accepted this role as the president of the Bucks County NAACP, my scope has broadened.

We've come together this evening to talk about diversity, equity, inclusion, and critical race theory.

These are words that we've heard a lot about over the last four, maybe now five years.

They're words that have been used to divide.

They're words that have been used to attack.

They're words that have been used to demean.

They are words that have been used to hate.

DONTE: Every corner of this Earth has its challenges.

And so you're going to either fight here in Perkasie or you're going to fight over there, right?

You're, you're going to have challenges.

MARTIN LUTHER KING (in video): ...this country for 244 years.

ADRIENNE: If we leave, then who is going to make a change?

I always go back to John Lewis and, and him saying, "If not you, then who?

If not now, then when?"

And at some point, you have to take a stance.

AARATI: It's not, like, "I didn't win, I'm going to take my toys and go away."

That's not the kind of person I am.

Mistakes, to some extent, are the greatest gift you can get.

(murmurs) - Because that's where you learn stuff.

If you already knew it, you already knew it.

There's no value gained, right?

That's why this, this whole experience with the school board was so enlightening.

I learned so much, right?

If I'd won, I wouldn't have learned near as much.

(laughs) - That's how it goes sometimes.

AARATI: Yeah.

PAUL: That's how it goes.

All right, we gotta go.

AARATI: One of the things I did is, I was really lucky to, like, kind of meet all these little organizations in our community as I was running, right?

Because this is, I'm still, like, look, I still have my little ideas.

I'm just, just because I didn't win school board doesn't mean I can't do these things.

(people talking in background, music playing) We've done a lot of stuff to benefit the community.

We've done all these things, but we've never liked to talk about it or brag about it because that's not who we are.

But whatever we've done, we've always focused on things that benefit kids.

Hi, everybody, my name's Aarati Martino.

Fab Lab is something that I think is the most amazing thing.

I remember hearing about y'all many years ago and seeing some of the flyers about the stuff you're doing, and thinking, like, "Wow, they're doing stuff with robots and 3D printers "and laser cutters and all these things, like, this is really amazing."

They're really all about really giving a chance for every kid to succeed, and that's what I love about these folks and what they're doing.

So thank you so much for coming.

It's a pleasure having all y'all here.

Have a great Saturday.

(audience applauding) PAUL: I went over there, you know, on Aarati's request, and much to my surprise, you have a killer C.E.O.

named Lindsey, and you have more demand for the program than she has the capability to supply.

Now, when you're in a start-up, there are two things you want.

You want a good leader and you want demand for your product.

And so I was there about ten minutes, and I told Lindsey, I said, "Look, this is not the meeting I thought I was gonna be in.

"You actually have a business problem I literally know how to help you to solve."

(talking indistinctly) Now, I do that all the time, but you know what?

This is probably going to be the first time I'm going to say to them, "You know what I would like you to do?

"I would like you guys to talk "about what we're going to do with the money and who you got it from."

(people talking in background, saw cutting softly) LELA: I read that the Martinos donated, like, $100,000, I think, to the Fab Lab, which is fantastic.

Whatever the reason, the kids could use the money, our community can use the money, that's great.

I hope he's just, you know, trying to be a better person.

I hope we're all trying to be better people.

AARATI: Paul and Lela, they've had some really vicious arguments on Facebook, I know, but, like, when it comes to our kids-- and that's probably... Maybe that's why the arguments are so vicious, they care about the kids.

And so if our kids are friends, and we see that they're both such good influences on each other, like, why would you ever stop that?

EVI: Get over here!

AARATI: You know, all of us adults who think we're so smart, sometimes, you know, out of-- what's it?

Out of the mouths of babes, right?

Is, is the wisdom, right?

Look at how these kids have managed to navigate all this complex stuff and still manage to be friends in the midst of all this craziness?

Like, that's got to be something inspiring to look up to and, and learn from.

Come on, you have... LELA: No, it's for you, for your house, Mom.

It's some, some, it's, like, a pie... I feel like there's just a lot of people that just see a person as a caricature, right?

As opposed to a real person.

Maybe people in Bucks County will start realizing, like, "No, these people, we're all, "we should all be friends with each other.

"We should all work together, instead of working against each other," right?

So, that's... I really hope that message comes across.

(talking in background) EVI: I love my grandparents' farm.

They have a horse stable-- it's so beautiful there.

There's acres and acres of woods, and there's, like, berries and stuff.

(laughs) And they have so many different animals, and there's lakes and pretty stuff.

It's so beautiful.

Eat the black ones, yeah.

They're good for you.

I wanted to show it to Vanessa for a really long time, and I finally got to do it, and her mom came, too.

They're all over Doylestown, but no one ever eats them because they're scared.

(chuckles) EVI: I'm glad to be done with school.

I'm so excited for the summer, but I'm going to miss my teachers so dearly.

VANESSA: Evianne, this is a big chonker here.

EVI: Oh, yeah.

VANESSA: I think high school will either be the best years of my life or the worst years of my life.

That's how they put it in the movies.

I don't know, hopefully in high school, things will even out.

- Yeah.

EVI: We'll see what the future holds.

We're strong, independent women here.

(laughs) Come on, Vanessa.

VANESSA: Okay, okay.

EVI: I'll go, I'll go in front.

All right, Vanessa, let's go.

LELA: Good luck.

VANESSA: All right.

EVI: It's really nice.

♪ Oh, my darling, oh, my darling ♪ ♪ Oh, my darling Clementine ♪ (humming) Do you feel so majestic?

AARATI: This is just-- you're so lucky to have grown up here.

LELA: Oh, it was a nice place to grow up, for sure.

Living kind of remote from everything, and on a farm, away from everybody, was sort of my safe haven.

I was bullied a, a lot for being Jewish and for being one of the only first-generation families there.

It was really, it was really painful.

It just made me withdraw more and more.

I was, like, "Okay, I'm just going to keep my head down and get through."

For my kids, I just wanted them to... Like, I didn't really socialize as a kid, because it was not an area that, you know, was really accepting.

So I just didn't have a lot of friends, so I wanted my kids to live in a place that was more progressive, more, you know, diverse, and more like... AARATI: Where people are nice.

Because I, I didn't have a lot of friends growing up, either, but that was more 'cause I was a big nerd.

(laughs) I was also a nerd-- I was just a bookworm.

EVI: Look at our moms, chitting and chatting like gals do.

(chuckles) Gals and guys.

(humming) You having fun?

VANESSA: Yeah.

EVI: Let's make it to that, to the end, and then we'll go to the bird box thing, and then we'll keep going till they make us come out.

CAMILLE: How much juices are you guys going to do today?

Juices?

We have six.

Five, really, and then a tester.

DONTE: Our juice business is So Fresh So Green Juice Company.

We started out as a family just trying to connect over the pandemic.

(speaking indistinctly) But the demand kept growing.

(speaking indistinctly) ADRIENNE: So, we've... DONTE: Taken a leap of faith.

...take, taken a leap of faith.

Right, right.

- And we've opened a cafe.

After I said I was no longer going to put the lemons on the bottom, what did I do?

CAMILLE: Put it on the bottom.

Put the lemons on the bottom.

(laughs) And so, it's a redirection of, of energy, where we now have power, right?

To be able to create... DONTE: Uh, yeah.

ADRIENNE: ...and do the things that, that we want to see in the community.

And hopefully set a... - Example.

Set an example.

- Example.

Set, it's... - We want to be the change.

That's what we started out with: be the change that we want to see.

ADRIENNE: Yeah, yeah.

DONTE: For me, it's kind of a continuation of legacy.

My grandfather had a store in West Philly, sold cheesesteaks and other types of foods, but he was always a focal point in the community.

He literally fed the hood-- he fed the community.

My grandfather passed in, in June.

ADRIENNE: Yeah.

So he never got to see... (crying) He never got to see this place.

So to be here now... ...is very inspirational, just because... (Adrienne talking indistinctly) DONTE: ...I want a place that my family can come and eat and I'm proud of it.

(sniffles softly) Good?

You okay?

- I'm good.

I'm good.

(birds chirping) IAN KNAUER: Have you made pasta from scratch?

I know you have.

KITTY: I have, yes.

KNAUER: Okay.

DEARMOND: I'm definitely a foodie.

KNAUER: Cool.

DEARMOND: And I have made pasta from scratch, yeah.

KNAUER: Awesome.

We're going to make some ricotta cheese from scratch.

And then, I have these peas that I picked this morning from the farm.

KITTY: Nice.

- We're going to string them like this, and then we'll cut them and steam them and then we'll toss everything together.

KITTY: Oh!

- And then you guys can have lunch.

WOMAN: Oh, that sounds great.

KNAUER: Yeah.

So, I think the first... KITTY: I love cooking classes.

I loved the place that we had it.

The scenery was incredible, sort of like a feast for the eyes.

It was absolutely lovely.

So that put everybody in a good mood.

Um... But also, I know that Vonna likes to cook, and so that was fun.

KNAUER: Now, look at Kitty's bowl.

That looks like a shaggy dough to me.

You can turn it out on the work surface, just right on, right on the surface here.

KITTY: And I do think that setting has a lot to do with how people interact.

So, seeing Vonna in an absolutely perfectly beautiful place facilitated our sense of, we're not in conflict with each other anymore.

We're just two people.

We've been through a lot together.

We hung in with each other-- it was delightful.

KNAUER: And by kneading it, what you're doing is, you're making those bonds tighter and tighter and tighter.

WOMAN: So, can you over-knead it?

KNAUER: No-- if you like... DEARMOND: She's given me confidence to have conversations with people that I might disagree with.

Yeah, it's too hard to see... I think if people can look past the labels, uh, I think we'll be okay.

(people talking in background) All right, let's head outside.

KITTY: Wow, this is just beautiful.

DEARMOND: It sure is.

How have you been?

It's been a while.

Have you been to recent meetings?

Have you... What's your feeling?

(sighs) I don't love all the things the new board is saying or doing.

I feel like they're just getting some things wrong.

- Mm-hmm.

And I feel like it would be remiss to quit at this point.

So I feel, for those kinds of reasons, I want to stay involved.

And the other thing is that, like, you know, we don't need to get into this, and I say this with great tenderness and sort of, you know, care, but we do have an election coming up.

Mm-hmm.

And so that's important to me, and I'm going to continue to work.

After November, I think I would like to step back, especially for the reasons that we mentioned.

It's depleting.

- Mm-hmm.

And, like, a little bit heartbreaking.

That right there.

So, like, the, the amount of energy that it takes, right, to focus on the things with the board and the community and politics in general, I, I don't feel I was listened to in 2020 by Karen Smith, and I don't feel she would listen to me now.

- Mm-hmm.

And if I'm honest, there's a part of me that really wants her to, to apologize.

- Mm-hmm.

And say, "I'm sorry I got it wrong."

I don't think she thinks about me or my child.

They don't care what I have to say.

They didn't care that I kept telling them, "You're breaking the Sunshine Act," and, that didn't matter to them.

I kept pushing: "This is against state law."

And it turns out that it was.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ SMITH: Some community members appear to be trying to lay all the blame for the Sunshine Act case specifically on me.

I don't think that's particularly fair.

There were six votes.

We made a group decision.

The purpose of this annual organization meeting is to organize the board for the coming year by electing a president and a vice president.

A couple of the board members were disappointed in me, in how I handled the Sunshine Act case.

They felt that I didn't take it seriously enough.

...Kimicata, by Mr.

Duggar... They also felt like I pushed them into making the motions on the agenda at the, at the meeting.

That was obviously not my intention.

I felt like at the time that I was making the best decision that I could make.

I felt like the steps we were taking were legal.

We were told by counsel they were legal.

Looking back, obviously, I wish we had done things differently, but we didn't.

DANIEL KIMICATA: I will now open the floor to nominations for the office of president.

PEPPER: I nominate Susan Gibson for president.

KIMICATA: Are there any other nominations?

Seeing none, if there is no objection, I declare the nominations closed.

All those in favor?

MEMBERS: Aye.

KIMICATA: The vote is eight in favor.

Ms.

Gibson has been elected president.

♪ ♪ I didn't feel great about it, to be honest.

I was, I was disappointed.

I was interested in being president for another year, but the rest of the group didn't feel the same.

At this point, though, we're a united front-- we're going to move forward and do the best we can.

HUNTER: It's astonishing, actually.

We just saw Karen Smith get unseated as president, and that was a pretty big deal.

I mean, even her, the people she ran with turned on her.

MINDY: Are you ready?

LILY: Yeah.

MINDY: Okay.

LILY: Okay.

MINDY: Here we go.

(in video): No, no, no, no.

LILY: "It is my pleasure to offer you a seat."

I got in!

I got in!

(Scotch barking) (laughs) Look at Scotch's reaction.

- I know, right?

Scotch.

Oh, my God, I'm so proud of you.

- Yeah, I know.

(laughs) LILY: I can't believe I'm going off to college.

I can't believe I'm graduating high school.

Like, it just honestly, just felt unreal.

♪ ♪ I'm majoring in fashion design.

That's been really exciting for me this summer, is preparing for that.

I'm just really excited in general to, you know, explore my major and be around people with similar interests.

I think that's really fun.

♪ ♪ MINDY: We ordered you the water bottle-- what else?

Oh, my goodness, you're not going to get everything.

Scotch is on top of your stuff.

LILY: Yep-- no.

MINDY: He doesn't want you to go.

LILY: I know-- I don't want to leave him.

I don't want to leave him.

MINDY: I know, I know.

Oh, my goodness.

LILY: It's, like, the worst part.

It's also really exciting to me 'cause I'm going to be able to experience things that I haven't experienced before.

I'm able to meet new people and sort of, you know, start fresh from Central Bucks.

Get down-- come on, get down.

LILY: Go on, go see Mommy.

Let's go.

All right?

Come on, let's go.

Let's let her be, let's let her start packing, come on.

♪ ♪ I do feel differently now about the community, because I... You know, one thing that we love to do, Brett and I, is to go into Doylestown on the weekends, whether it be just to walk around, go in and out of stores, go to the little farmers' market in the center of town.

EVI: Love Grows.

WOMAN: Yes.

MINDY: And just this weekend, we went to the farmers' market to get our favorite pickles and olives and... (laughs) There was, you know, two political tables.

And you can see, like, who's going up to which table.

This sense of, like, negative, divided energy.

EVI: Hello.

WOMAN: I saw your mom.

EVI (laughs): Oh, cool.

WOMAN: Tell her I said hi.

EVI: She went, she went to the farmers' market?

Can I take a sticker?

WOMAN: Yeah.

VANESSA: Yay.

EVI: Aw.

You always got to get the sticker.

WOMAN: Take anything you want.

(Evi chuckles) WOMAN: Get some flags.

I'm going to give Randy a rundown of the table.

WOMAN 2: Oh, yeah.

WOMAN 1: So why don't I... VANESSA: I think the big difference between the two of us, me and Evi, is that Evi's, her whole life is politics.

She loves politics so much, and I, I kind of hate it.

It kind of makes me depressed, so I don't think about it that much anymore.

EVI: That's, like, our biggest difference, I think.

(people talking in background) Hey, hello.

MAN: How are you?

I'm good-- how's it going?

Oh, thank you.

MAN: You want to ask us anything?

VANESSA: Uh, well, what, what are you guys doing out here?

MAN: Well, we're letting people know it's okay to be a Republican in Doylestown Borough.

We've been called names, we've had things thrown at us, but we're here every Saturday.

WOMAN: We're registering people to vote, asking if they want to sign up for a mail-in ballot, or maybe volunteer at the polls on election day.

VANESSA: Oh, that's fun.

MAN: And that's what we're doing, because it's important for people to have a choice and to know it's okay that they can vote either way.

And that's why we're here.

VANESSA: That's cool.

Say hi to your parents for us.

VANESSA (laughing): Okay, thank you.

I got a cool flag.

(Evi laughs) WOMAN: Take care, Vanessa.

VANESSA: You, too-- bye.

MAN: Bye.

VANESSA: I think respect is just so, like, hugely important when you're having these political discussions and stuff.

Like, one thing that really annoys me is, like, okay, when there's, like, these two political parties.

They're going at it, and then, like, one is really, really annoying to the other, they're making fun of them, and then the other retaliates back with making fun.

And if you just keep going back and forth, back and forth, it's never, you're never going to win.

VLASBLOM: Diversity of thought is super-important, and we can't be the thought police.

I worry about freedom of speech.

There is a large contingent in the left that feels that, if you don't say what they want, it's hate speech.

(people talking in background) I have two college students.

I want to give them the opportunities I had.

I want my children to be able to afford to have a house.

I want them to be able to stay home with their children, if one of them so chooses.

But those things are not possible in the environment we're in right now.

(car horns honking) (people cheering) (music playing) MORRIS: Well, good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen.

Uh, thank you all for coming.

We've got about 30% of Black voters are leaning towards Trump.

WOMAN: Yeah!

MORRIS: And we've got another 45% of Hispanic voters that are leaning towards Trump.

The policies of the Biden administration have been negatively affecting everybody, and the further you go down the, the ladder, the socioeconomic ladder, the worse it hurts.

(crowd cheering, music playing) (horn honking) (cheering) DONTE: Am I worried about the economy?

I'm Black, man.

I'm Black.

If you seen what I seen growing up, you wouldn't worry about the economy.

Because guess what-- no matter who's in office, the people where I come from are still going through what they're going through on a daily basis.

So the economy?

I say, "Will it get a little tight?"

Okay, it's going to get a little tight.

But I'm not worried about the economy.

That's not, that's not my, why I'm voting.

(cheering and applauding) SMITH: Around the country, LGBTQ people, people of color, and immigrants are still under attack.

DONTE: I have two daughters.

I'm concerned about their bodies, and what they can and can't do with them, should they choose to.

The books that they read.

The music that they listen to.

That's my concern.

MALCOLM KENYATTA: Good afternoon!

(crowd cheers and applauds) (loudly): Good afternoon!

(crowd cheers and applauds) So I want to thank you so much for being here and being a part of an incredible American tradition.

This is what we do.

Neighbors showing up together, deciding what we want our future to look like.

That's right, we ought to.

(crowd cheers and applauds) REPORTER: We're 20 days and counting until election day, and Pennsylvania remains a key prize for both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

KAMALA HARRIS: Because at stake in this race are the democratic ideals that our founders and generations of Americans before us have fought for.

(crowd shouting and cheering) (chanting): U.S.A.!

U.S.A.!

DONALD TRUMP: This is a movement like nobody's ever seen before.

NEWS ANCHOR: The Fox News Decision Desk can now officially project that Donald Trump will become the 47th president of the United States.

TRUMP: It's time to put the divisions of the past four years behind us.

It's time to unite.

Despair is not the time to lose hope.

It is the time to dig down, to do some soul-searching, and fight for a better day, but we have to do work to protect the most vulnerable.

DEARMOND: Really, what is the truth?

Because you have one side of the truth... Yes.

- ...and then I have the other.

That's an excellent question.

And this is a perfect picture of America.

Yes.

TRUMP: My administration has taken action to abolish all discriminatory diversity, equity, and inclusion nonsense.

I've made it an official policy of the United States that there are only two genders, male and female.

REPORTER: ICE says that it's arrested more than 3,500 illegal immigrants since President Trump returned to the White House nearly a week ago.

The golden age of America begins right now.

(audience cheers and applauds) ♪ ♪ Hey, hey, ho, ho!

Donald Trump has got to go!

Hey, hey, ho, ho!

Donald Trump has got to go!

Hey, hey, ho, ho!

Donald Trump... DEARMOND: I think the opportunity for healing is actually very good if people can focus on Trump's policies.

Donald Trump has got to go!

DEARMOND: He's going to secure the borders, fix our economy, make sure that women are protected, really upholding our Constitution, our freedoms, our freedom of speech, our freedom to worship.

Things that will help your children have better lives in the future.

He's a felon!

He's a felon!

He's a felon!

He's a felon!

He's a felon!

KITTY: He's very clear about what he wants to do to the country.

Project 2025, depriving people of long-held and cherished rights.

About his disdain for the environment.

You're abandoning your brothers and sisters.

You know it!

You know it!

You know it!

Shame on you!

Shame on you!

Shame on you!

VLASBLOM: People don't like Trump, and I, he's, I'm not particularly... He's not, I'm not, like, a fan.

Um, you know, I certainly wouldn't date him.

(laughs) - But luckily I don't have to.

But his purpose was to be a disruptor.

This is what losing looks like.

(car horn honking) You should be ashamed.

ADRIENNE: I heard from a Black parent whose son was asked by a white student, "Can I call you the N-word now?," right?

We've seen an increase within the schools where female students are being spoken to in a way of, "Your body's not yours anymore."

(chanting): Love, not hate!

That's what makes America great!

(car horn honking) Love, not hate!

HUNTER (laughing): For a very long time, if a Republican voiced opposition to something, you were a racist, you were a bigot, you were, you were name-called.

And for the longest time, Republicans were, you know, "We're, we're above that.

We're not going to sink to that level."

He was willing to sink to that level, and people were actually, like, "You know what?

(claps) "Finally, "we have somebody on our side that's willing to, to give it back."

And I'm not saying that's right, and it's probably gotten us where we are today with politics, which is not a good thing.

(muted) Kamala!

Let's go, Trump, baby!

Let's go, Trump!

Bucks County was red!

Bucks County was red!

(car horn chirping in distance) PAUL: I know enough people who know Trump well that I can say this: Trump might be the single most un-coachable C.E.O.

in the history of the United States.

He does not take advice well.

He does not take counsel well.

He will frequently flout his trusted advisers.

In some ways, I think maybe that's one of his great attributes: that he's willing to thumb his nose at absolutely everybody to take on certain fights that no one else will take, which is why there is a loyalty to Trump among a certain part of the Republican Party that I've never seen to any leader, including Reagan.

Ever.

ADRIENNE: This election to me was so much bigger than just partisan politics.

It was about human rights.

It was about dignity, it was about values.

It was about respect, it was about hate.

It was about discrimination.

It was about all of these things.

And to see our nation vote in favor of those?

Some of it is still just very hard for me to process.

(car horn chirping in distance) BRETT: We've had significant concerns.

We're people like yourselves, who want their families to thrive, be healthy, and just live good lives.

We're, we're in uncharted territory.

What the future holds for all of us is unknown.

HUNTER: To the people that are devastated by this election and are fearful, I would say, "You've been manipulated into feeling that way, and I think that you need to keep an open mind."

And I would say, "Put the fear aside and just give it some time."

(car horn chirping in distance) ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ EVI: When I found out that the documentary was going to Sundance, I was literally so excited, I, like, wanted to jump up and start screaming.

I don't remember if I did or not.

(laughing): But I got really super-excited.

We got to actually see the documentary screening, and that was a little scary, because it's always a little scary to see yourself on screen.

VANESSA (chuckles): It's a very left-leaning festival, and I know a lot of the stuff I said would not resonate well with some people.

So I was sitting next to Evi.

Whenever I said something that I knew wouldn't resonate well, we kind of, like, we did that.

(chuckles) Cringed a little bit.

- Yeah.

(chuckles) (audience applauding) EVI: And then we got to go up and do the panel.

(applause continues) A lot of people were very emotional, and the crowd was just a little scary.

VANESSA: Mm-hmm, yeah, a lot of people, they weren't even asking questions.

Can we trust all parents to know better than thousands of educators who have tens of thousands of hours in education?

Suicide in this country has skyrocketed, the LGBTQ community, in particular.

If that flag saves one child's life, why not keep the flag there?

Why does it bother you that much?

ADRIENNE: I was taken aback a little bit.

I didn't necessarily expect that they were going to be so targeted.

Yeah, they were.

Um, yeah.

(both laugh) They were very targeted.

- And, and not just one.

I think it was, like, the first three or four.

And, and I can't imagine anyone watching this on, anywhere on the political spectrum, and not being horrified.

WOMAN (whispers): Wow.

Why can't you be like your kids?

(audience murmuring, cheering, and applauding) PAUL (softly): Sorry, is that a question?

EVI: I strongly believe in, like, making connections between people, and I think that's how change is made in the first place, is by having open discussions regardless of party, especially within the youth, because we're the next generation.

So if we can learn to get along, then we can make more positive changes in the future.

(audience cheering and applauding) PAUL: Let's be clear.

We're all here 'cause we felt like we were doing the right things for our kids.

I don't think there's anybody here who thinks they were doing the wrong things for their kids.

And I must say that I do have one disappointment.

I felt that we got some hostile questions at the, in the Q&A.

And the reason I'm frustrated by that is, wasn't it lost on the audience that we're all here?

We, we all don't like each other a lot in a lot of ways.

We disagree with each other a lot.

But we all agreed to be here.

We all agreed to be on that stage together and now do this conversation afterwards.

And I hope people can learn from the fact that we're all doing this, even if it's a little painful.

DEARMOND: I mean, Karen and I sat together yesterday and talked.

PAUL: Mm-hmm, mm-hmm.

Like, that's a big deal.

PAUL: I agree.

DONTE: One of my favorite lines in, in, and to tee off of this, is by you two young ladies, that says, "Hopefully you see yourself "with somebody you know... - Mm-hmm.

...in this, in this documentary."

And I think the people that spoke, that didn't have a question, that had comments, they saw themselves, or they saw somebody they knew.

VANESSA: Mm.

DONTE: And they were upset.

ADRIENNE: I feel like there needs to be an episode six, seven, eight, nine, and ten showing us all laying on a couch somewhere.

And, and I'm honest with that, right?

Because having a conversation with someone does not heal trauma.

DONTE: Right.

VLASBLOM: When, Donte, you said that, you know, you had been called everything except a neighbor, that really was impactful, so, hey.

I'm not your neighbor, but I'm your neighbor in a way, down the road.

So that was impactful.

DONTE: Thank you for that.

I will say, Paul, you did personally impact my family.

The money that you pushed to the candidates, some very hurtful things were said about my wife when she ran for school board.

They called my wife a (muted).

And I, I'm saying hard "e-r."

The platform that you provided allowed them to say those words.

And endanger our family.

And endangered my family directly.

I shook your hand yesterday, and it took everything in me to shake your hand.

PAUL: I can promise you, no one told me that that was what was said about your wife by a candidate or by a supporter of a candidate.

I will say that, I mean... And I know that if I had heard that, I would've been the first person on social media to say that that's out of bounds.

I appreciate that.

I'm going to say this to you right here.

I don't know if a candidate ever said it, but the supporters of the candidate said it.

And you could try to say, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!

Paul Martino don't support that!"

Doesn't matter-- the stage is built, and it's bigger than you now.

(Kitty starts) DONTE: And that's the piece... I got a lot of people who were uninvolved in politics before involved in politics.

If you want a cookie for getting people involved in politics, I'll give you a cookie.

I'll bake you a batch.

But you built a stage for people that had feelings that ain't political.

It's not political.

What you saw that day was Donte, no mask, no filter.

...to, to... Some people may say, "Hey, he was an angry Black man."

I was no different than any other person that was just sick and tired of being sick and tired.

That was just the perfect storm, and honestly, after having gone through that... ...you all leave here... ...I felt better because I got it out.

I, I got, we got it out.

You know?

And it was a release.

The path to hell was, is paved with good intentions.

PAUL: We've seen that.

DONTE: Right?

VANESSA: It was, it was something.

(chuckles) - That's all my commentary.

How did you feel emotionally?

I felt like I wanted to go home.

DONTE: I know if I react the way that I want to react... VANESSA: I don't know, until I had the clarity when I was talking with my parents afterwards, like, I don't know.

I was just, like, in a horrible place.

I was, like, "Am I, am I a bad person?

Are my parents bad people?"

And I really hate how he made me feel about myself and my family.

DONTE: He wasn't listening.

PAUL: Donte King basically decided that he was going to make me the reason everything was wrong in his life.

I do have empathy for the situation that he's in, but it, it went to a spot that was crazy, where we were responsible for every right-leaning person in the district's comments.

And I get it, there was, there's a set of pent-up emotions that came out.

I understand... - Yeah, he was holding it the whole time.

I understand and can empathize with that, but that was an unfortunate place for that to all come out.

DONTE: We got to stop this now.

No more conservative, no more liberal, no more their side, this side, that side.

It's humanity, man, and, and honestly, if you truly, truly, in your heart of hearts, want to leave here and do something better, I challenge all of you: go and look in the mirror, and ask yourself, when they write history, are you going to be happy with how you look?

♪ ♪ KITTY: What I see is both sides digging in with, "Well, I know my people have said some (muted) things, but they're worse."

- Right.

And I don't see that.

I see both extremes on either side saying things that are shameful and damaging.

And I think, in honesty, we all have to acknowledge that there are... It's, like, the very unity is problematic if what you want to do is make your "side" win the thing.

♪ ♪ We've got, we have to be willing to come with grace and forgiveness.

Um, I don't see any other way around it.

Because if we keep pointing the fingers-- and listen, I sit here, and, and I think things in my head, like, "But what about this?

But what about that?"

You know?

So that's a human response.

There, the wounds are so deep with all of us, and we've all experienced trauma.

We have to be responsible and accountable to ourselves to deal with that trauma.

DONTE: I would say participating in this project has made me kind of look at my reactions.

I would say more slow to speak.

Even though I'm thinking it, maybe taking a second, "Hey, is that a, do, do you really need to say that?"

EVI: A lot of bad things happen to people, and I think all that just kind of came to a head, and we had, like, a, a very, very heavy conversation, and, in the end, I think it was, it was positive to hear from everyone and hear other people's perspectives, but in the moment, it was kind of, it was kind of very, it was a little stressful.

♪ ♪ PAUL: Vanessa told Dana Hunter, in her postmortem on this, asked her a question to the effect, "Are we bad people?"

And that was in response to the set of things that Donte said.

And so I must admit there's a part of me that is angry about that, because Vanessa has agreed to be involved in all of this, and to see her dad in particular attacked unfairly like that, to lead to that question, does make me upset.

DONTE: Looking back at that moment, could I have responded differently?

Absolutely.

Should I have responded differently?

Maybe.

Maybe my volume could have been different, or, you know, maybe the words that I've selected could have been different, and I definitely will own that.

We were both tired.

I mean, we were exhausted, and so, I, I don't have the capacity to say, say the appropriate thing.

Well, I shouldn't say, "Say appropriate thing."

Politically correct.

Say the politically correct thing.

And then on top of that, you started then trying to talk over me and defend yourself.

Walk a mile in my shoes.

I'm telling you the shoes that I'm in.

I'm giving you my shoes.

ADRIENNE: We're going to continue to be who we are, we're going to continue to use our voice, and we're going to continue to take up space.

DONTE: If our story helps you put the shoes on and walk, then put them on.

Mm-hmm.

Yeah.

(car horn honking in distance) DEARMOND: Maybe this is the start.

We got to start somewhere, and that's actually something that Kitty and I always agreed with when we started to talk to each other.

And I think I said it before: if it's just the two of us, then, like, where are we going to go from here?

This has to... Others have to be willing to do the same thing.

The tricky part about all of this is, like, you start to see yourself, um, through people's eyes, of people who don't like you very much, and it's like this, uh, like a funhouse mirror.

Like, I always thought I'm compassionate, and they see me as, I don't know, sanctimonious or judgmental or whatever.

Empathy has just, has just dried up, when you look at the way that people interact with each other on social media, you know, the name-calling and the belittling... We are in a world in which you can go read any opinion you want on the internet.

You can go get any point of view supported.

You will find treastises on any conspiracy theories you want that are well-documented.

We, we are absolutely in a post-truth society.

People hear certain buzzwords or rhetoric, and they automatically assume it as fact, and they don't necessarily hear all sides to it.

This demonization of one another is dangerous and destructive, and, you know, a house divided against itself cannot stand.

United we stand, divided we fall.

E pluribus unum, we're the United States of America.

This is a very old idea.

I do believe in the system.

I don't always agree with it, but I believe in it.

So who knows what the next 250 years will look like?

What would the founding fathers say or feel if they came back?

I don't think they would be at all pleased of where we are.

Being in such a central location, like Bucks County, like Washington Crossing, like Philadelphia, should be more of a reminder of what's at stake and should be a reminder to, to hold on to the truths and the values that make this nation great.

♪ ♪ (birds chirping) EVI: I hope that this series does encourage people to step out of their comfort zones and have conversations with other people, 'cause I think that makes a big difference in how we all see the world in all of our perspectives, and how we, like, live in our country.

♪ ♪ VANESSA: I really agree with Evi's idea of the viewers of this docu-series, they really should take away the idea of being an active listener.

One thing I learned is, it's not easy.

(laughs) It's not, it certainly is not easy.

You have to even question your own beliefs that you've held for years and years, maybe even your whole life.

EVI: Mm-hmm.

And that can be really challenging, but it can also be really fulfilling, and you could really realize what you think and not just... Like Washington said, his farewell address.

We're not just saying, "Oh, I'm an R, these are all the things I believe."

You could also, you know, think about yourself as your own individual, and these are, "Oh, I actually believe all these other things."

EVI: Snaps!

Look at you.

VANESSA: Yay.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ("The Battle Cry of Freedom" playing) Be sure to continue to watch after the finale's credits, as I sit down with Evi and Vanessa and talk with them about their experience over the four years of filming, how they've changed, and what they hope for the future.

The series has had a profound effect on me, and I hope it will do the same for you.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ Hi, I'm Judy Woodruff.

Now that we have seen this wonderful series, I am here sitting down with the two young women who are at the center of it.

Evi and Vanessa, it is so good to be here in person with you both.

What was it like to take part in this, which, what, over several years?

Yeah, many years, all throughout my middle school and high school career.

It was definitely, like, a wild ride.

(laughing): But it was a lot of fun.

It just, like, it was always a thing throughout my life, throughout my, like, formative years, so it's always been there.

It's been so long, and it's become such a big part of our lives.

You come from families, parents, with very different political views, and yet they were supportive of your doing this.

Is that right?

EVI: Yeah.

Our parents are not best friends.

They hold very different views, but they support us in talking to one another and being friends.

Yeah, I'm really grateful that they let us both participate in this and were able to put their trust in all the production crew to portray the accurate story.

WOODRUFF: When you saw the series, what did you think?

It, it is a microcosm of everything that's happening now.

I think it's only just a small part of a much bigger story in our nation.

EVI: Yeah, I agree-- I think we had, one of the episodes is called "Petri Dish."

Which I, like, I agree, it's, like, it's a petri dish of everything that's going on in our country.

It's 'cause we're in, like, a swing county in a swing state, so everything we do holds a lot of weight to it.

It's good to have those conversations.

That's what a democracy's about.

But of course, it, sometimes it crosses a line where it can start hurting people.

Did you learn something about your community that you didn't know?

I learned that we're in a community with a lot of people who care very much, especially my parents, who originally got involved with all this to reopen the schools, so kids could be in school and be among their teachers and peers.

Do you think you learned something about yourself?

Yeah-- especially being in front of a camera, you have to really come to terms with your views and solidify them.

EVI: You know, like I said, we started doing this when I was just, like, a middle schooler.

I was, had more, like, self-doubt, you know, but, like, throughout this documentary, I got so many chances to speak out about what I believe in in front of, like, like, big platforms, like Sundance-- that was incredible, and it really boosted my confidence a lot.

It's been, like, an amazing journey.

One of you, in the process of doing this, talked about generous listening.

What does that term mean?

To me, it's having this deep curiosity about everyone around you and wanting to ask questions that are deeper than surface-level, like... I feel like Evi does this really well.

Like... - (laughs) When we could just be hanging out together, and she'll ask, like, the most out-of-pocket, but really deep and interesting questions.

So just a genuine curiosity about people, I think, is what you really need.

That leads to something I, I was curious about, which, do you think it's changed your friendship, your relationship with each other, going through this?

I don't know, I mean, it must have, 'cause we've been through a lot together, like Sundance and everything, so I don't think it, like, challenged our friendship in any way.

I think it made us closer.

VANESSA: We have so many inside jokes because of it.

- Oh, yeah.

WOODRUFF: Like what?

I mean, give a... Share.

- Well... (all laughing) EVI: We had to do a few scenes a couple of time, where we, where we said, okay, "I'm Evi."

"And I'm Vanessa."

"And this is the story of our town."

WOODRUFF: I was waiting for you to do that, I love it.

EVI: Yeah, that was, it was a lot of fun.

We had, it really strengthened our bond.

As you look back on it, are there moments that you think, "Ugh, I wish I'd said something different"?

Yeah, I mean, of course, like, I was 14.

I was still just, like, discovering my views.

Like, one specific thing is, I think I said a lot in there, "Why can't we all just get along?"

And although that's, like, that's, like, a beautiful idea, I think as I grow older, I see, like, more nuance to it.

In my experience, some of the reasons why we can't just all, like, get along is, some people hold, like, sexist or racist or homophobic views, and that can make it challenging to talk to someone.

I would never be close friends with someone that's really, really sexist, but could I have a conversation with them if they're going to respect me?

Like, yes, I could.

And, like, that's not for everyone.

It's not your responsibility to try to change people's views.

But I think it can be really rewarding for both parties.

The reason Evi and I were able to be friends despite our views was because we were in school.

We were put in an area where you're incentivized to make a lot of friends, and I feel like we were able to make those connections with each other because we were trying to connect over good storytelling, through music and TV shows and "Hamilton."

- (laughs) Yay!

WOODRUFF: Mm-hmm.

And I feel like adults right now aren't put in enough situations like that, where they need to make connections.

They don't extend their hand across the aisle as often because they aren't in those situations.

WOODRUFF: It's such a good lesson for all of us.

One of you mentioned Sundance.

- Mm-hmm.

Where it premiered not too long ago.

Were you surprised at the crowd's reaction?

I don't think I was surprised.

I knew it was going to be polarizing.

It's deeply personal to people, because we're talking about human rights, like, like, queer rights.

There's stuff about racism, as well, in the documentary.

Like, that's important to people 'cause it's people's real, like, lives and experiences, so of course people are going to have strong emotions about it, and I think it was a little scary to stand up there and hear everyone, like, shouting and talking, and that was jarring, but for me, I, I kind of expected it, and I think it's valid, like, it's a valid emotional response to seeing those kind of things.

I remember, right after it premiered, we were standing there in front of the screen, and everyone... It was meant to be a questioning for all of us.

And instead, people would just stand up and tell their life stories, and I think they were just talking about themselves and all this, the controversy they've experienced in their own life because of how deeply the documentary resonated with them.

WOODRUFF: Such a good point to make, because it is something that touches all of our lives.

There was a roundtable at Sundance after the film.

How did you feel that went?

EVI: Well, it got very emotional.

We had Donte King there, who was talking about how people that, like, support candidates that Paul endorsed called his wife the N-word, and it was, like, a very emotional experience.

I know Vanessa was upset.

Of course, that's her dad.

I understand why she would be upset by that.

Me, personally, like, I, I feel like it was within Mr.

King's right to talk about that.

Like, it is his family and his wife that went through that, and I feel like the whole point here is that we want to have conversations about it, and even though it was tough for people to hear, I do think it was important, so, yeah.

It was hard, it was hard to hear.

EVI: Mm-hmm.

VANESSA: Mm-hmm.

Yeah, I was expecting this kumbaya moment, where everyone in the cast came together, and I was waiting to, for my turn to say to Miss Karen Smith, "Oh, our rabbits should have a play date."

And then it just turned into something completely inappropriate and extremely uncomfortable.

It was uncalled for for all of that to happen in front of me, my little brother, Evi.

We were all in that room.

It was really, it was really tough.

Yeah.

- What I'm struck by is that the two of you maintain your friendship.

EVI: Mm-hmm.

- It hasn't been affected by... No, yeah, of course.

- ...any, any of these things.

Am I, am I reading this right?

- Yeah!

(laughs) Yeah.

EVI: Yeah.

WOODRUFF: Do you feel it's possible now, not just with Evi, Vanessa, but do you think it's possible for you to have serious conversations with people who you, who completely disagree with you politically?

Oh, absolutely.

I mean, you can always talk to someone.

At first, it feels like doublethink.

You have to confront your views and confront someone else's, but over time, it feels more comfortable, and you're, like, "Okay, I can have my views, "and I can listen to theirs, instead of think of what I'm going to say next."

- Mm.

And, it, it, overall, I think it is a skill that can be learned and should be learned, and I think it starts on these smaller, local levels, where you can actually meet people and have these really important conversations.

I agree-- I second that.

(laughs) WOODRUFF: It makes sense when one hears you say it, but we're not seeing very much of that in the country right now.

EVI AND VANESSA: Mm-hmm.

Do you have hope that the country's going to be in a better place?

EVI: I really do.

I think America, it has a lot of ups and downs and a lot of challenges.

I think that's part of the consequence of democracy is having these debates, and, like, it's been since the beginning of our country.

We've gone through these challenges before.

We've had a whole Civil War.

Yeah.

EVI: Like, of course.

I think we need to come together and be able to talk with one another.

I think that's really the key.

I think a big part of it is, we can't blame the individual for this.

I feel like a lot of it comes down to how news is structured now, to be entertainment that antagonizes people, how social media makes money off of people staying on it... - Mm.

...to hear something that makes them angry, 'cause that keeps them on the app longer.

And I feel like we need to try to collectively fight against that, fight against these systems.

I really agree with Vanessa there.

I think that-- I really like what you said about, like, systems.

I think sometimes people, like, use, like, marginalized communities as scapegoats, so people fight against each other.

And, like, that can be really scary.

It's a really scary time right now.

Like, especially, you scroll on the internet, you see so much hate and, like, so much vitriol.

Yeah.

- It's, like, it's overwhelming.

It makes people want to take a step back, and that's fair.

But I think, to the American people, like, if you want to make change, it starts with you.

Like, we're lucky enough to live in a democracy where we can change things, and that starts with having a conversation with someone that you don't agree with and gaining a better perspective.

I think it's especially important for children or, like, younger people, because we're still forming our views, so if we can learn to, like, listen to others early, then we're able to do that better later on in our lives.

And what do you think about, I mean, where does it go from here?

Do you think more of that's possible in your community?

Yeah, I think that, I think that's one of the most important things.

Like, I think that's why... Of course, not the main reason, but one of the reasons I value me and Vanessa's friendship so much is, like, we disagree on things, but we're still able to have conversations, and I think just 'cause you're able to have a conversation with someone, like, or be civil with someone, it doesn't mean that you support their ideas.

You're just willing to listen to them.

And I think that's one of the greatest things is being able to listen to other people, and get a more nuanced perspective, and not stay in your own bubble.

'Cause we're all one country in the end.

So I think it's just important for us to talk to each other.

I think it can definitely be learned, this ability to have a deep curiosity about people and care about people, and then something like this ends up happening.

- Aw!

Vanessa, Evi, it's been such a pleasure to talk with both of you.

- You, too.

Thank you, thank you so much.

- Thank you so much.

It's been an honor.

(laughs) WOODRUFF: Thank you.

Thank you.

WOODRUFF: Thank you.

Yay!

And after listening to these two remarkable young women, I know you're going to not only want to watch this series, watch it again, if you've already seen it, but continue to be part of this conversation that all of us need to be having across this country.

Thank you.