Radicalism or pragmatism? A look at another divide in racial justice advocacy

Today we launched the “ Structural Racism Remedies Project ,” a vast repository of scholarship, advocacy, and policy ideas for interventions to dismantle structural and systemic racism. The policies contained in this repository take many forms and...

“Inherit the Wind” Redux

Nearly a century ago, the state of Tennessee prosecuted a high school teacher for instructing students on the theory of evolution in violation of a state law. The state law was based on a fear that teaching evolution would undermine religious...

A tribute to my dear friend, Lani Guinier

As we begin to settle into 2022, my heart and mind are weighed down by the losses we suffered at the end of 2021 and the beginning of this year. With the normal flow of life and death I know there are always those passing on and those joining us...

Blog: Jan. 6 happened because we ignored George Washington's final warning

Many Americans across the political spectrum would readily admit that political polarization and extreme partisanship have become major problems in our society. Partisanship and polarization are not the same thing (you can have one without the other)...

#PandemicTruths: A declaration of interdependence

Othering and belonging seem to me to be the critical issues for our species at this point in our history. I am recently retired. For the past 30 years, I worked in food banking. In that time, I have had a chance to observe and appreciate the way our...

#PandemicTruths: Moving beyond our safe spaces

If we truly believe in humanity, in the possibility of the evolution of the human spirit, this must be a time of expanding our reach in a way that ensures everyone's most basic needs are met, their birthright to dream and become, supported and...

Poem: A Love Supreme

Across seven seas and barren borders, we are all connected and conjoined. Through the pain and the pandemic, the exploitation and the expropriation, Through the crisis of the changing climate and the desolate deserts without food, Through the oil...

Covid-19: What Will We Remember?

What will we care to re-member about the era of the Covid-19 pandemic? Some events become a generational marker, an experience shared by so many in such profound ways that the ripples last decades. The “Great Depression” of the 1930s and the US war...

Can we disarm vigilantes by bridging?

Today, another vigilante escaped justice. Somehow, a jury in Wisconsin found that Kyle Rittenhouse was justified in driving across a state border and killing two protesters, wounding a third, and firing on a fourth with a semi-automatic rifle. I can...

The Role of Religion in Bridging Work

"When I took my shahada," said Curtis Toler, "my past sins were erased and I could start a new life." Curtis had spent many years as a high-ranking gang leader in Chicago, and he had hurt many people. But he had reached what author Amanda Ripley...

Blog: The US Owes a Debt to Haiti and to Haitian Migrants

The scenes of Haitian migrants being herded like cattle and whipped like slaves by Border Patrol agents on horseback at the US-Mexico border at Del Rio, Texas are typical of how Haitians have been treated since the 1804 Haitian revolution. Haiti is...

Blog: Locating a Dignified Future in the Future of Work

There is solid basis for concern when setting sights on a dignified labor sector in the future from the vantage point of current indignities suffered by many workers. The impact of technology in labor has a long history in economic analysis. The rise...

Blog: Should Non-citizens be Allowed to Vote in Local Elections?

This past Tuesday evening, upon invitation, I spoke before the Richmond, California, City Council on a topic upon which I conducted considerable prior research: non-citizen voting in municipal elections. The experience was one of the most...

Blog: The backlash is here: Behind the absurd attacks on 'Critical Race Theory'

In mid-April, I noticed something strange was happening. Across mainstream media, but especially conservative/ right-wing media, there was a spate of articles and op-eds attacking the notion of “equity.”

From Tulsa, Texas, to Turkey: The Price of Denial

There has been a spate of recent media coverage and documentaries to mark the 100-year anniversary of the massacre. But this panorama of coverage is in striking contrast to how this event was originally covered by the media, let alone addressed by public authorities.

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E-Newsletter Archive

An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.
Jan
29

Belonging Resident Company (BRC) Audition

The Belonging Resident Company (BRC) is holding an audition to bring in new members on WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29 from 7-10pm Rehearsal Interest Participation Form REHEARSALS happen MONDAYS AND/OR WEDNESDAYS from 7-9pm AUDITION & REHEARSALS will take place at Destiny Arts...

California renews OBI opportunity map for 8th consecutive year

BERKELEY: The California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (CTCAC) has reapproved the use of an opportunity map developed by the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) and its partners, California Housing Partnership and the Terner Center for Housing...