January 14, 2026 6:30 pm
Town Hall Seattle, Livestream (Hybrid)
Pay What You WillRecordedLivestreamComing Soon CART Captioning
John Wood Jr.
Too often, democracy is narrowly defined by the act of voting, reducing the citizen’s role to mere electoral participation. However, a truly thriving democratic society is one in which full inclusion is built upon a foundation of cultural goodwill between distinct communities. This vision of a beloved community—rooted in the philosophy of nonviolence—was championed by Martin Luther King Jr. It is this philosophy that we must revive to bridge the deep political and cultural divides that threaten American democracy today.
Registration opens December 10, 2025.
About the speaker
John Wood Jr.
National Ambassador, Braver Angels; Writer
John Wood Jr. is a leading voice in the American depolarization movement. As National Ambassador for Braver Angels—the nation’s largest bipartisan grassroots organization dedicated to political reconciliation—he works to bridge ideological divides and foster dialogue. A nationally recognized speaker on political and racial reconciliation, Wood has addressed audiences across the country, including top think tanks, universities, corporations, philanthropic organizations, and political associations such as the Aspen Institute, Manhattan Institute, CPAC, Global Philanthropy Forum, and the Philanthropy Roundtable. His campus engagements have included Pepperdine, Duke, USC, Purdue, and UC Berkeley.
Wood’s writing has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Examiner, Quillette, Areo Magazine, Reflections (Yale School of Divinity), RealClearPolitics, Persuasion Magazine, and The American Interest, among others. He hosts a radio show called The Reconstruction Project on KBLA.
Prior to his work with Braver Angels, Wood made history as California’s youngest active congressional nominee in the 2014 election, challenging Rep. Maxine Waters in the 43rd district. His campaign, focused on unity, garnered media attention from The National Review and The Larry Elder Show. After the election, he was elected 2nd Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Los Angeles, the largest county-level GOP organization in the nation.
Beyond Braver Angels, Wood advises several initiatives, including The American Project (a Pepperdine School of Public Policy initiative focused on conservatism’s communitarian roots), the Foundation Against Intolerance and Racism, and the 1776 Unites Project. He is a member of The Progress Network (an initiative of the New America Foundation) and a field-builder with the New Pluralists Collaborative, which supports organizations committed to depolarization and social justice. Wood has also worked extensively to expand educational opportunities for at-risk youth in Los Angeles, serving on the board of Strive Arts and Academics.
Raised in a musical family, Wood’s father is jazz pianist John Wood, and his mother, Deonda Theus, is a Los Angeles-based R&B singer. His grandfather, Randy Wood, was a pioneering record executive behind Dot Records and Randy’s Record Shop. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and three children.
Sponsoring Departments: The Graduate School