The Wichita Journalism Collaborative will partner with the Kansas Leadership Center and the League of Women Voters of Wichita Metro to host a Braver Angels debate centered on the proposed 1% sales tax.
The Braver Angels format is designed to be a conversation that helps people listen to different perspectives on a societal issue.
The proposed sales tax was chosen for this discussion since Wichitans have expressed many questions about what the ballot measure contains and means, as well the small window before residents vote on it, which happens March 3.
The League of Women Voters of Wichita Metro reached out to the WJC, and the WJC then reached out to Chris Green and Dani Gains, the executive editor and manager of The Journal to set up this discussion in a Braver Angels format. The Kansas Leadership Center’s Journal is a WJC partner.
“This is a really good way to introduce the format to Wichita on something that’s really important to them,” Gains said. “We hope to let the people of Wichita see this format, see how productive it can be in talking across differences.”
Jason Bosch, the curriculum innovation director for the Kansas Leadership Center, will moderate for the debate. Bosch has moderated two debates in the past: one in Wichita on birthright citizenship and one in Lawrence on housing.
“In both cases, it was refreshing to see people come together around contentious topics, to come together around issues that people have very strong opinions about,” Bosch said.
“To be able to come together and talk about these tough issues and do it in an environment where anyone’s able to speak, the heat doesn’t get too high and the conversation doesn’t devolve into yelling and personal attacks.”
Bosch said that the purpose of this format is to create a space for people to come and share lived experiences and diverse perspectives.
Millie Pageau-Lovallo, communications and community engagement specialist with the city of Lawrence, worked with the Kansas Leadership Center on the Lawrence debate and said that the overall response from the community about the format was positive.
“The debate structure created space for people to engage with a complex, often sensitive issue in a way that was both respectful and efficient,” Pageau-Lovallo said. “Participants demonstrated a strong commitment to the process, which included advance registration and an indication of whether they wished to speak, as well as which side of the resolution they would speak from. Many attendees expressed enthusiasm for this style of discussion and shared a desire to see similar formats used again in the future.”
The debate itself will take place on Monday, January 26, from 6-8 p.m. at the Advanced Learning Library, doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Registration to attend is not required, but is appreciated. The website for registration can be found here. It is not a program of the Wichita Public Libray.
Maleah Evans is a senior at Wichita State University and is the Spring 2026 intern with the Wichita Journalism Collaborative.