Stephen Menendian presented at the Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California annual fair housing conference on April 23, 2024 as a keynote speaker. He presented on recent racial demographic data, patterns of racial residential segregation, and...

Why do some political leaders thrive on anti-corruption rhetoric, even when accused of corruption themselves? In her latest Connecting the Dots piece, Míriam Juan-Torres, Head of Research at the Democracy & Belonging Forum, explores how authoritarian...

On April 16, Journalist Shereen Marisol Meraji sat down with renowned scholar john a. powell to discuss his new book, The Power of Bridging, which lays out a framework for bringing people together across deep divides. They dove into how “bridging”...

On April 15, john powell and Stephen Menendian sat down with interim Dean of Social Work Susan Stone to discuss their book, Belonging Without Othering at the UC Berkeley School of Social Work. Transcript Susan Stone: As you might know, social work is...

Stephen presented at the Housing Works Austin Summit on Housing and Regional Affordability on April 11th, 2025. Stephen was on a panel that discussed the need for regional approaches and the costs and problems of continued municipal fragmentation...

The calluses and scars on Shamichael Hallman’s hands serve as lasting reminders of the frigid Alabama winters he spent as a 20-year-old logger, cutting and bundling 20-foot cedar logs in a Birmingham lumber yard—timber destined to build homes. “I’d...

How can the contaminated lands that dot urban neighborhoods and rural lands across the country and the world, often for years or decades, be cleaned up and put to reuse in ways that ensure environmental health, social equity, and thriving local...

We hosted the second installment of our Arab Women & Feminist Visions for Equity and Belonging webinar series on Tuesday, April 8, with speakers from Saudi Arabia, Somalia, and the Western Sahara sharing their experiences related to the theme of...

Watch the explainer video and enroll in the free course now! Targeted Universalism is a framework that goes beyond inclusion in existing structures that serve only some of us. Instead, it invites everyone to roll up their sleeves and co-create new structures designed to serve all of us.

OBI Director john a. powell and researchers contextualize the current moment our world is experiencing in a 90-minute virtual conversation. They look at what is driving the rise of authoritarianism across the globe, and discuss pathways forward to build a world where everyone belongs and no one is excluded.

Contents Introduction Operationalizing Equity in Transportation Planning Research Process and Methods Inventory of Transportation Equity Metrics Critical Discussion of Metrics Conclusions and Recommendations Endnotes Introduction What data should be...

Stephen Menendian presented at the California Racial Equity Commission's Framework Development Committee meeting on March 20, 2025. Stephen presented principles for how to develop sustainable racial equity policy and guidance. His presentations...

On March 5 we launched the first of a 3-part webinar series, titled, "Arab Women & Feminist Visions for Equity and Belonging," featuring speakers from Syria, Iraq, Tunisia, and Algeria. This first event in the series was on the theme, "Rights, Equity...

I believe the dance floor is a representation for belonging. And dancing a symbolic act to bridge with whomever is willing to dance with you. I mean, a dance floor can literally be created anywhere. A street corner or sidewalk plotted down with...