Video: Conversation on Belonging, with john a. powell

On May 30, 2023 -- San Diegans gathered at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center for a "Conversation on Belonging" with UC Berkeley Professor john a. powell. Download a copy of the slidedeck.

Video: Naomi Klein, Bayo Akomolafe, and Yuria Celidwen on Climate Grief and Hope

In this Thursday, May 4 event organized as part of The Edges in the Middle event series by our Europe-based Democracy and Belonging Forum, we had the privilege of hosting celebrated climate activist Naomi Klein, Indigenous scholar Dr. Yuria Celidwen...

Video: Bridging Towards a Just, Inclusive, Pluralistic, Democracy

So how can bridge-builders support one another and the communities with which they engage to show up to the table consistently and fully as we work toward a just, inclusive, pluralistic democracy? What does it mean to model pluralism in a way that...

Video: Beyond Generations

This April 18 event featured Eunice Lin Nichols, Co-CEO of Co-Generate; Bobby Duffy, Professor of Public Policy and Director of the Policy Institute at King's College and author of Generations: Does when you're born shape who you are?; and Manu Meel...

john a. powell at Bioneers: 'We need a more complex story'

In an April 8 keynote at the Bioneers conference in Berkeley, OBI Director john a. powell spoke about the importance of recognizing our interconnected relationship to both nature, and fellow humans. Against the separations that society has...

Video: What if Justice is Getting in the Way?

In this March 29 event as part of the ongoing series The Edges in the Middle, scholar and activist Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor and Global Senior Fellow Bayo Akomolafe explore Black identity, Black excellence, and the limits of seeking inclusion...

Video: A New Theory of the Self with Bayo Akomolafe and Indy Johar

On January 19, 2023 Indy Johar of Dark Matter Labs and Global Senior Fellow Bayo Akomolafe explored a set of questions about the self: what if the self is not as estranged or as independent as we often suppose it is? If we are to take seriously...

Structural Racism Explained

The “Structural Racism Explained” video draws upon many varied sources in formulating specific definitions for different types of racism. The video and prompts provided in this video and teaching guide are designed primarily for teachers to help students clarify and sharpen their understanding of the material.

A Discussion on the Inflation Reduction Act and Climate Justice

On Oct. 20 we hosted our first event as part of our new Climate Justice Series looking at solutions to the climate crisis and its impacts on communities around the world. In this event, we heard from a panel of experts who drilled down (no pun...

Video: 2022 Inclusiveness Index Launch

On Thursday, Oct. 13 we held this virtual event to announce the results of our 2022 Inclusiveness Index and provide a demonstration of our new interactive data table.

Video: Rising Up For Reparations

On Thursday, Sept. 29 we hosted a conversation on the promise and practice of reparations being undertaken for Black Americans. Speakers included Trevor Smith, the Director of Narrative Change at Liberation Ventures; Donald K. Tamaki, an appointed...

Visionary Frameworks Webinar Series

Over 2022 we hosted a five-part webinar series called "Visionary Frameworks" in which we learned together from organizers, artists and researchers who are putting visionary frameworks for change into action. Below you'll find some recordings of those...

Video: When "just getting along" isn't enough

What if the very indigestibility of the other calls for new ways of framing identity and the promise of politics? Where are the thirst-quenching waters in a time of fire and fury? Is belonging possible in a world rooted in othering? These are some of...

Video: The 'Perfect' Baby?: The Dangers of Gene Editing in Assisted Reproduction

Gene editing technology like CRISPR may have potential to treat diseases, but does editing future generations go too far? In this August 9 event, we heard renowned bioethicist Françoise Baylis, reproductive justice activist Nourbese Flint, and...

Equity 2.0? What is Targeted Universalism and How Does It Address Inequality?

This is an excerpt taken from this May 2022 webinar in which OBI Director john a. powell explains the concept of Targeted Universalism. This excerpt was originally published here. Transcript john a. powell: What happened in terms of the application...

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E-Newsletter Archive

An Archive of past issues of our bi-weekly newsletter.
Apr
8

Targeted Universalism Explained

Register Here Join us on Tuesday, April 8 at 10:30am PT for the live launch of our new course on Targeted Unversalism. We're hosting a live conversation between our TU creators and experts, OBI Director john a. powell, Assistant Director...

Video: How to make sense of this moment

On Monday, March 24, 2025 OBI Director john a. powell and researchers tried to contextualize the current moment our world is experiencing in a 90-minute virtual conversation. They looked at what is driving the rise of authoritarianism across the...