Tag: Staten Island Advance

(Editor's Note: The Staten Island Advance is partnering with Spaceship Media in The Many: A Conversation Across Divides, a moderated Facebook conversation for women of all political stripes. STATEN ISLAND -- What does a fiscally conservative and socially liberal attorney from Richmond Town, a wine shop owner and progressive Democrat from the North Shore, and a hairstylist from South Beach who identifies as an Independent, have in common? They are a few of more than 300 women around the country participating in civil political discussions on a range of topics on a social media group called "The Many." From race, to abortion rights, national politics and the future of the Democratic party, The Many is a group where women across the political spectrum can have a "civil conversation" with one another about virtually any topic. Over a recent weekend, several Staten Island women participated in a discussion about the Trump administration's family separation policy ahead of a nationwide protests calling on the White House to end its zero tolerance immigration policy. For weeks, the White House has come under scrutiny for separating thousands of children from their parents and detaining them for crossing the U.S. border. "How disgraceful that our country has taken children away from parents, criminalized asylum seekers and now the President has 'solved' the problem he created by incarcerating children with their parents?" "My personal opinion prior to the executive order being signed was that separation of these children from their parents was disgraceful and will forever be a stain on our history," Victoria Ferrantelli Wickman, a Republican from Richmond Town who works as an attorney, wrote. Wickman said she joined The Many to participate in a forum where women could be honest about their views without getting attacked by others. "When I saw that this was people having to agree that they would have to be civil and not go to low blows and name calling and just try and explore the other person's perspective and ideology, it just seemed like it was a good forum to try and see how it would work out," she said.