Blueprint for Belonging Papers

Significant resources are invested (primarily by a few elites) into shaping how our society interprets our social, political, and economic realities through the use of narratives and metaphors. These connected and strategic groups do this with the intent to build support and power behind particular political agendas and to influence how we view ourselves now, and shape who we will become as a society. Too often, the broader public and marginalized communities do not have access to research and analysis that helps us understand the power of these narratives, and construct new narratives that better reflect shared values of equity and inclusion. These papers offer critical analysis and proposals for pathways forward toward building a more fair and inclusive society.

Publications

The Next California
By Manuel Pastor, Jennifer Ito, Vanessa Carter California is America on fast forward. The state’s demographic changes have outpaced and foreshadowed the nation. The shifts in our racial composition between 1980 and 2000 are what the US will experience between 2000 and 2040. Moreover, the state’s...
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Photo by Vlad Tchompalov on Unsplash - Black Lives Matter
The Role of Government
By john a. powell Ultimately, we cannot win any major fight on the environment, the economy, health care, or civil rights—and secure that victory—unless we have an effective, well-resourced, inclusive, and responsive government. An effective government is not simply a government that is a referee,...
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Race-Based but Not Race-Bound
By George Lipsitz Malcolm X used to say that racism is like a Cadillac because they make a new model every year. When automobile models change, repair manuals have to be updated. Problems in a 2016 Escalade cannot be solved by consulting the manual for a 1965 El Dorado. Similarly, the injustices...
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Photo by Alice Donovan Rouse on Unsplash
The California Story
By Eli Moore and Gerald Lenoir For many Californians, having a good life here is getting harder and many feel it will be even harder for the next generation. 1 There are glimpses of the so-called California dream but also moments of a California nightmare. California was once among the states with...
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Building A Real Sharing Economy
By Chris Benner We are in the midst of an unfolding fundamental restructuring of the economy that we still only partially understand. The scale of this restructuring is similar to the industrial revolution, but instead of being centered on the uses of new energy technologies, this revolution is...
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Photo by Samson Duborg-Rankin on Unsplash
Corporate Democrats and the Corporate Power Structure in California Politics
By Daniel Russell Cheung Introduction After the 2016 presidential election, California has been a leader in progressive politics, pushing back against the agenda of Trump. With a Democrat supermajority in both the Assembly and Senate and a Democratic Governor in the face of a Republican monopoly on...
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A 21st Century Movement-Building Challenge
By Gerald Lenoir One of the essential elements in the building of a cohesive social movement across communities of color aimed at dismantling structural racism is the formation of a common identity that is a marker for a common worldview and set of politics. Drawing upon the history of the social...
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Building a Strategic Narrative for All of California
By Olivia E. Araiza Over the past few decades, successful movements for social and racial justice in California have illuminated just what is possible when social change strategy is developed with deep roots in community organizing. In many cases, major progressive wins in the state have resulted...
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Changing Our Narrative About Narrative
By Rashad Robinson Introduction The culture of the progressive sector—as with all sectors—is rooted in stories. They are stories that convey values, mental models, assumptions and identities, all of which ultimately guide our behaviors. Unsurprisingly, the most powerful stories that define the...
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California Dog Whistling
By Ian Haney-López Over the last half-century, politicians have exploited a public discourse emphasizing fear of nonwhites. This is “dog whistle politics,” a dynamic grounded in powerful racial narratives expressed in coded terms. The code allows these racial stories to be defended as benign, even...
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Photo by Alex Madonik
Faith Communities as Partners of Hope
By Rev. Deborah Lee Introduction Bringing forth an inclusive, fair, and humane society will require a coordinated movement of diverse sectors of society working towards this compelling vision. I am heartened and hopeful that faith communities can be a key building block in the construction of this...
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Shifting the Narrative
By Alan Jenkins Since the 2016 election, interest in the concept of “narrative” has spiked in the nonprofit and philanthropic worlds. There exists a growing consensus among people committed to social justice that traditional change efforts like organizing, advocacy, and litigation cannot be fully...
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Mind Sciences and Creating New Narratives
By Rachel D. Godsil He who defines reality holds power. Cognitive science confirms what every culture in the world has intuitively understood—reality is defined through narrative. Our brains process and remember narratives more powerfully than facts or logic models. And curiously, while the Right...
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