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“Belonging” is both a powerful and ambiguous concept. It reflects something essential to the human experience — a core need — but is not as tangible or easily comprehensible as shelter, nutrition, and rest.

An encompassing and embracing experience of belonging may be one of the few utopian ideals that can — and, indeed, does — exist in the world. It is a feeling of intentional togetherness that anyone, anywhere can experience mentally, physically, and spiritually—its absence can also be felt acutely.

Assistant Director Stephen Menendian presented in a panel organized on Jan. 13, 2022 by the SF Ed Fund on the dire state of public education in San Francisco. Stephen highlighted the high levels of student poverty and racial and economic segregation...

Read this Press Release in Spanish Negative Cross-Group Attitudes are Limited, and Rooted More in Stereotypes and Hearsay than Adverse Interactions BERKELEY: There is a common assumption in the United States that where Black and Latino communities...

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...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE New voting restrictions and gerrymanders in swing states are built on foundations of disproportional representation BERKELEY: A new analysis of 2020 election results shows that district lines dramatically inflated the Republican...

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)...

In this episode we speak with two of the founding members of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, the President Desmond Meade and the Political Director Neil Volz. Together, Desmond and Neil have been working on restoring the rights of people...

As efforts to secure voting rights at the federal level remain at a standstill, the most consequential legislation determining how we vote, who can vote, and how much our votes count continues to be made in state capitols. Throughout 2021, numerous...

In this episode we speak with Reverend Ben McBride. Ben McBride is a spiritual leader and longtime activist for peace and justice in the Bay Area. McBride serves as a national leader around reconstructing public safety systems and gun violence...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE BERKELEY: For the fifth consecutive year, a California state agency has approved the use of an opportunity map developed by the Othering & Belonging Institute and partners designed to guide the siting of affordable housing using...

As part of a Dec. 9 panel focused on Fair Housing for SCANPH, Director john powell presented research and insights on the challenges of housing equity, reflecting years of accumulated experience navigating this tricky issue.

In this episode we interview with Debbie Lacy. Debbie is the founder of Eastside for All, which serves communities outside of Seattle, WA including Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, Issaquah and Sammamish. Eastside for All has a mission to transform East...

Director john a. powell gave a presentation on Dec. 8 before the Institute for Nonprofit Practice focusing on strategies to foster belonging, particularly in non-profit organizations. His remarks emphasized the critical role of leaders in lifting up...

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...