Image of a black man with duct tape over his mouth with "Black Lives Matter" written on it with a Sharpie
  • Blog
  • June 19, 2020

Blog: We only became half free on Juneteenth. Our fight for full freedom requires that we persist

Today we're observing the anniversary of Juneteenth—the day in 1865 when enslaved Africans in Texas learned that their enslavement was formally over. Yet they would exist in a world not quite enslaved, and not quite free. They then, as us now, would...
Black Lives Matter protesters
  • Blog
  • June 16, 2020

Blog: All lives can't matter until Black lives matter too

I’ve lived in and traveled to all corners of the country talking to people about race for many years. One question that many people new to understanding racism are asking is, “What’s wrong with saying all lives matter?” Sometimes the question is...
Woman walking down sidewalk next to black lives matter murals
  • Blog
  • June 10, 2020

Moving beyond police reform to addressing structural racism

A global protest movement focused on racial inequality has opened the window of opportunity to address systemic and structural racial inequality, and the aperture seems wider than at any point since perhaps Reconstruction. Already the protest...
Person walking past a Black Lives Matter mural
  • Blog
  • June 10, 2020

Blog: Moving beyond police reform to addressing structural racism

A global protest movement focused on racial inequality has opened the window of opportunity to address systemic and structural racial inequality, and the aperture seems wider than at any point since perhaps Reconstruction. Already the protest...
george floyd mural
  • Blog
  • May 31, 2020

Poem: Once Again

Once again, a brother lies dead in the street Once again, he screams, “I can’t breathe” with no relief Once again, policemen stand idly by Once again, a man in blue condemns a Black man to die Once again, Black lives really don’t matter Once again, a...
protester holding sign that reads Justice for George
  • Blog
  • June 2, 2020

We're in a moment of collective trauma. But there are glimmers of hope

I’m writing firstly to express my sincere condolences to the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the many others who have been killed in recent months at the hands of police and related violence, including the protesters who...
Justice for George Floyd
  • Blog
  • May 29, 2020

On George Floyd and the struggle to belong

Like you, I've been inundated these last few days with painful images of police abuse, heartbroken families, and growing protests. This is our national ritual—a black American like George Floyd, Tamir Rice or Breonna Taylor is killed at the hands of...
quote card
  • Blog
  • May 26, 2020

Blog: What if we grounded our societies in love?

Many of the problems we live with today can be distilled down to a lack of belonging. And at the center of a lack of belonging sits a failure to build society from a place of love.
heat map showing air pollution in california
  • Blog
  • April 10, 2020

Blog: Bakersfield region may face heightened risk from COVID-19

Click for a full-size map New data revealing a correlation between air pollution and death from the coronavirus means that California's San Joaquin Valley which includes Fresno and Bakersfield may be at particular risk. The Harvard University study...
image shows masked mannequins
  • Blog
  • April 8, 2020

Blog: COVID-19 Has Changed Everything

The ongoing coronavirus pandemic poses a serious challenge not only to our health and economic well-being, but also to our society's basic structures of social cohesion and even our democracy. But the pandemic alone is not what is bringing our...
illustration of connectedness
  • Blog
  • March 18, 2020

As we spatially separate we must also stay connected

I hope you are staying healthy and safe during this period of uncertainty as governments around the world take dramatic and unprecedented measures to try to contain the pandemic currently disrupting life on our planet. As has been pointed out in many...
image grab from animated video showing a woman watering a planter
  • Blog
  • February 28, 2020

Blog: 'Can You See It?' New digital short invites young voters of color to envision more for their communities

We know it better than anyone: Californians of all backgrounds and communities are doing extraordinary things with even the barest of resources. But can you imagine what our neighborhoods could look like with all the resources we need to thrive? This...
Photo of protesters holding signs in India
  • Blog
  • January 15, 2020

Blog: Dangerous Liaison: Democracy and Charisma in India and the Philippines

The widespread protests in India against a citizenship law that many feel is the first step in the legalization of the inferior civic status of Muslims has drawn critical attention globally to the Hindu nationalist BJP regime headed by Prime Minister...
Historical picture of a segregated housing project
  • Blog
  • January 8, 2020

Blog: Fair Housing and Affordable Housing are Not the Same Thing: The Trump Administration’s Latest Attack on Integration

On January 7, 2020, the Trump administration launched another attack on integration. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) announced a new federal rule that would significantly redefine and roll back Obama-era regulations that were...
Mahasin headshot
  • Blog
  • October 31, 2019

Tackling Public Health Possibilities and Misconceptions in Rural America

Haas Institute scholar Mahasin Mujahid considers rural communities the “neglected frontier” of the public health field.

Explore Othering and Belonging

Illustration of a flower holding up and presenting a human to another flower.
  • Newsletters

E-Newsletter Archive

An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.
Preview BRC dancers
Jan
29
  • January 29, 2025, 7pm - 10pm

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...
2024 opportunity map
  • Press Release
  • December 12, 2024

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...