Video: Atmospheres of Violence

At a time when LGBTQ rights are advancing, why are attacks against trans, queer and/or gender-nonconforming people of color increasing?

Podcast: Belonging in Schools

In this episode we speak with Frances Lucerna. Frances is the founding principal of El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice. El Puente Academy for Peace and Justice is a public school located in the Southside community of Williamsburg in Brooklyn...

Video: Justice for Black Farmers

The introduction of the Justice for Black Farmers Act of 2020 and the Emergency Relief for Farmers of Color Act of 2021 was the first time many Americans learned about the historical and ongoing discrimination against farmers of African descent by...

Podcast: Black and Native Folks in the Climate Justice Movement

In this episode we interview two of the founding members of The Wind & The Warrior, Ife Afriye Kilimanjaro and Nana Korantema. In 2020, The Wind & The Warrior led a Sacred Waters Pilgrimage to connect Black and Native culture-bearers and advocacy...

Director john a. powell distills belonging

On October 22, 2021, OBI Director john. a. powell joined ACLU-WA Executive Director Michele Storms in a conversation centered around the themes and concepts of othering & belonging and how the ACLU can use them as a blueprint in order to continue...

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...

Reimagining Revenue Measures by Centering Community Voices

Introduction California’s convoluted system for raising revenue is not transparent, and confusing to the general public. Unless they closely follow wonky budgeting and legislative news, most people typically don’t learn about upcoming revenue...

Placemaking, Belonging & Well-being

On October 20th, Director john a. powell presented the work of the Othering & Belonging Institute to WRLD CTY - The Global Forum for Urban Innovation on the importance and role of belonging in community health and well-being. powell used this...

Podcast: Looking to Belong

In this episode we interview Byb Bibene. Byb is a professional performer, choreographer, dance artist, director and dance educator originally from the Republic of Congo. Currently he lives in the Bay Area in California. Byb has participated in the...

OBI Conference Discussion with John Woods

Throughout the O&B 2021 conference we discussed the urgency of bridging across lines of difference, including across ideological lines, which can sometimes be the most difficult bridge to cross for those of us working towards belonging. In this...

Podcast: Different Histories, Parallel Stories

In this episode we hear from Gerald Lenoir and Nunu Kidane about their work on bridging African American and African immigrant communities through dialogues. Gerald is OBI’s identity and politics strategy analyst and was the founding executive...

Redefining Who Belongs

Recent acute instances of failed political leadership—particularly around the pandemic and an ongoing lack of action to protect Black lives—have shone a bright light on questions essential to our future as a country: Who are we? Who are we becoming? Who must we become if we are to create a different world where everyone belongs?

Video: History and Contemporary Legacy of Housing Discrimination and Segregation

On October 12, Assistant Director Stephen Menendian presented to the California Reparations Task Force on the history and contemporary legacy of housing discrimination and segregation in terms of life outcomes, homeownership disparities and the...

Video: Building Bridges & Belonging Through Communications

On October 8, 2021, OBI Director john a. powell sat down with Dr. Carmen Rojas from the Marguerite Casey Foundation for a conversation for the ComNetworkV21 Conference. They discussed how nonprofit leaders, communicators, and storytellers can...

Press Release: Oakland home to Bay Area's most segregated neighborhoods

BERKELEY, CA: Six of the 10 most segregated Black neighborhoods in the Bay Area, and half of the region's top 10 most segregated Latino neighborhoods, are located in Oakland, a new analysis from UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI)...

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E-Newsletter Archive

An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.
Apr
6

Depolarization Day

Want a chance to hear from experts studying the root of what’s driving us apart and how we come back together? Eager to build the skills to listen empathetically, elicit narratives of connection, and interview professionally? Looking for a chance...

The Destabilization of American Zoning

In this multi-part series, we join an analysis of a novel database of municipal zoning reform efforts across the United States with an argument for the necessity of a tenant-inflected zoning reform, as a method and approach to ground future zoning...