E-Newsletter Archive

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

Our policy on publishing blog & opinion pieces

Consistent with our mission and values, as a multi-disciplinary research center that seeks to advance a world of belonging without othering, the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) conducts research, develops narrative strategy, and supports...

Building Bridges and Climbing Hills in the OC

OCCCO, the Orange County Congregation Community Organization, has a vision for Orange County, California: to be a place where all people live with dignity and thrive. Their campaign, Anaheim is Our Home, is an invitation for the city of Anaheim to be...

Power of Bridging in Action

Othering and Belonging Institute’s Bridging for Democracy project, a coalition of grassroots organizations across the country, started listening to people. What they are finding is an antidote to authoritarianism.

Belonging in a time of state violence

Othering and Belonging Institute Director john a. powell reflects on the killings by ICE agents in Minneapolis: “When we accept othering as a justification for violence, we normalize a system where belonging becomes conditional — and no one is truly safe. Humanity struggles to survive in such an environment. Democracy cannot.”

How a Smaller "Them" Gets Us to a Bigger "We"

Bridging for Democracy (B4D) is a partnership among social justice movement organizations to develop practices and narratives for rehumanizing and rebuilding our mutual commitments to one another across deep “us-them” divides in US society.

This is what fierce, organized love looks like

In Minnesota, in the face of fear and violence, we see courage and connection. Where systems and politicians seek to divide, there are networks of support. Where terror attempts to isolate, a powerful multiracial movement of neighbors have responded...

I don't believe in hope. But I do believe in you

As we welcome back the return of the light and a new year, it is a time to reflect, to celebrate, to mourn, to plan and to take stock. For me, 2025 brought many wonderful gifts and also many challenges. These gifts and challenges were — and are —...

California adopts OBI opportunity map for the 9th consecutive year

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

Real Solutions

Welcome to Real Solutions, a special 8-episode podcast series from the Othering & Belonging Institute featuring people leading efforts across the country that show what bold policy solutions would move the country towards belonging and wellbeing for...

Asia-Pacific Just Transitions

This white paper documents how local and regional organizations are confronting these challenges and shaping pathways toward just transitions that are not only low-carbon but also equitable, locally grounded, and reparative. Conducted by the Global Justice Program (GJP) at the Othering & Belonging Institute, UC Berkeley...

Asia–Pacific Organizations Advance Reparative Just Transitions Across Diverse Local Contexts

BERKELEY: Across the Asia–Pacific region, communities are responding to the escalating climate crisis by reorganizing their social, economic, and environmental systems away from fossil fuel dependence and toward equitable, reparative, and...

Advancing Peace: Ending Urban Gun Violence Through the Power of Redemptive Love

On Dec. 2 we hosted Jason Corburn and DeVone Boggan to present on their new book, Advancing Peace: Ending Urban Gun Violence Through the Power of Redemptive Love. The authors talked about their research into the Advance Peace gun violence prevention...

Visualizing Belonging without Othering

This graphic illustration serves as a meaning-making tool, outlining the foundational components of building for belonging and the practices that enable it within projects and places. Illustration by Wenjia Tang. Click here to download the full-size...

Driving the “Vibe Shift”: Harnessing Narratives on Family, Care, and Gender

In a 2024 podcast interview with Joe Rogan, Mark Zuckerberg mentioned that corporate culture in America is neutered, taking the grandstand view that the workplace needs more “masculine energy.” At the time, in some circles, Zuckerberg’s comments were the source of both outrage and mockery...

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E-Newsletter Archive

An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.
Mar
5

Beyond the Divide

Register Now Join the Palo Alto City Library and Stanford University for a free event as part of Silicon Valley Reads' "Bridges to Belonging" program. Experts Dr. Jennifer Eberhardt and john a. powell will explore the roots of bias to...

Our policy on publishing blog & opinion pieces

Consistent with our mission and values, as a multi-disciplinary research center that seeks to advance a world of belonging without othering, the Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) conducts research, develops narrative strategy, and supports...