How it started Our Story The neo-Nazi demonstrations in Charlottesville, the hate-killings at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh, and the attacks at two mosques in New Zealand in recent years were devastating and a clarion call for change. The media is filled with ways to prevent killings associated with hate and prejudice, but experts will agree, armed guards in schools and houses of worship are not the answer. “Building Bridges” is the “missing link” in education. Lesson plans are not enough to change minds and hearts. “Building Bridges” promotes meaningful interactions using technology platforms such as ‘Zoom’ to facilitate long-distance connections among schools and classrooms whose students may never have met or known others who represent cultural, religious, and ethnic groups different from their own. We must begin conversations to learn about the hopes, fears, and perceptions of one another in order to find our commonalities and respect our differences. And we must start with the children. It is vital that children have the opportunity to meet and better understand others who may not look as they look, pray as they pray, or see the world differently, through a lens shaped by their life experiences.