john a. powell from @obi-belonging.bsky.social spoke to changemakers in the Republic and in Northern Ireland about belonging and the need to eradicate othering. Read more about his visit and work here: www.socialchangeinitiative.com/from-otherin...

"Part of belonging is you get to tell your story.... one audience member is the lizard. The Lizard is the amygdala, the old part of the brain that we share with the lizard that's organized around fear. That's part of your audience. Talk to the lizard."

‘When people stand up for each other something magical happens’ That was john a. powell's message to change makers during an Ulster University talk set against the backdrop of racist violence in Belfast. He's director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley @obi-belonging.bsky.social

What an honor to be featured by @obi-belonging.bsky.social in this wonderful article by @ivannatividad.bsky.social about our work with the Washington Belonging Table belonging.berkeley.edu/belonging-ta...

‘We must listen to everyone’s concerns and reassure them that a shared future is being built, whether they are aggressor or victim, where one person’s gain is not offset by another’s loss.’ That was the message from @obi-belonging.bsky.social 's john a. powell following this month’s racist violence

A rare Ebola outbreak in Central Africa has been declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by @who.int. Infectious disease expert Dr. Charles Whittaker breaks down what’s being done to contain it and the risk level to the United States. publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...

"At OBI, when we talk about 'long bridging,' we mean bringing people to a point of recognition and respect across – and in the face of – quite wide identity divides, in order to overcome dehumanizing or problematic assumptions about one another." -Joshua Clark belonging.berkeley.edu/why-build-lo...

Many practitioners are asking a critical question: How do we establish this type of work within our organizations, institutions, and communities? To address this, the OBI's Places of Belonging program has created the Belonging Practice Community. More info: belonging.berkeley.edu/belonging-pr...

What does it look like to build belonging across an entire state? In Colorado, leaders at The Denver Foundation are helping communities bridge divides and strengthen connections through Belonging Colorado. belonging.berkeley.edu/building-bel...

See y'all in Louisville this fall! Can't wait to share more soon.

With increasing fragmentation, many of us don't know how to move past our differences. In “The Power of Bridging,” @obi-belonging.bsky.social Director john a. powell offers an actionable path through "bridging" that helps us coexist & imagine a story where we all belong. Read more: buff.ly/9YRJkO8

Apply for The Belonging Practice Community! This dynamic cohort brings together leaders from diverse sectors, helping them build relationships and feel a sense of belonging with #OBI All-Stars: Ashley Gallegos, Sarah Crowell, & Evan Yoshimoto. youtu.be/sFAI4lbJ7iE?...

“These are real expressions of belonging in action,” said Ashley Gallegos, #OBI's Places of Belonging program director. We are inviting practitioners to take their work further through the Belonging Practice Community. Look out for more info next week! belonging.berkeley.edu/places-of-be...

ICYMI, #OBI Scholar Míriam Juan-Torres participated in an online panel hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she broke down how authoritarian figures weaponize gender as a political strategy. https://www.youtube.com/live/4fyp6Yje9C4?si=fViFhTfcXcCc0tyN

We don’t want anyone leaving the 2026 Othering and Belonging conference as a stranger or arriving as one. That's why we're hosting pre-conference meet-ups for registrants to start bridging well before we get to Louisville. Our first virtual meet-up is on June 23 at 1:00 PM ET!

Really strong, spacious essay from john a. powell, director @obi-belonging.bsky.social on what we need to save from the "old world order" and some encouragement for getting us to the new one. belonging.berkeley.edu/my-mind-my-h...

Here is a great explanation of equal vs equitable from @obi-belonging.bsky.social belonging.berkeley.edu/equity-vs-eq...

"We must be grounded in certain moral values and commitments, and at the Institute, we believe that those values are belonging without othering, the human dignity of all people, and the value of life itself." - #OBI Director john a. powell https://belonging.berkeley.edu/my-mind-my-heart

Join us at the University of California, Berkeley, on April 10 - 11, 2026, for a gathering that will explore the persistence of eugenic logics and practices in science, medicine, and technology, and how we can build a better future. Registration & more info: https://bit.ly/3MY4o4g

"The size of the group or unit and the degree of othering are two quite separate things – and enlarging the group or unit does not necessarily mean reducing othering." -Hans Kundnani https://bit.ly/4sKzTy3

ICYMI, #OBI Scholar Míriam Juan-Torres participated in an online panel hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she broke down how authoritarian figures weaponize gender as a political strategy. https://www.youtube.com/live/4fyp6Yje9C4?si=fViFhTfcXcCc0tyN

"We must be grounded in certain moral values and commitments, and at the Institute, we believe that those values are belonging without othering, the human dignity of all people, and the value of life itself." - #OBI Director john a. powell https://belonging.berkeley.edu/my-mind-my-heart

Join us at the University of California, Berkeley, on April 10 - 11, 2026, for a gathering that will explore the persistence of eugenic logics and practices in science, medicine, and technology, and how we can build a better future. Registration & more info: https://bit.ly/3MY4o4g

"Belonging isn’t a soft feeling—it’s a hard practice." -Blanca Macias on the Bridging for Democracy project, a coalition of grassroots organizations canvassing—door-to-door, across the country—to bridge across differences. #Bridging https://bit.ly/4bnvxqq

ICYMI, #OBI Scholar Míriam Juan-Torres participated in an online panel hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where she broke down how authoritarian figures weaponize gender as a political strategy. https://www.youtube.com/live/4fyp6Yje9C4?si=fViFhTfcXcCc0tyN

Hello Everyone, We are currently searching for a Communications Director to translate scholarship and ideas and disseminate them to targeted and priority audiences and partners. Please share widely! #OBI #Communications #Hiring Full details on the position: https://bit.ly/4rFWc7H

"We must be grounded in certain moral values and commitments, and at the Institute, we believe that those values are belonging without othering, the human dignity of all people, and the value of life itself." - #OBI Director john a. powell https://belonging.berkeley.edu/my-mind-my-heart

"The size of the group or unit and the degree of othering are two quite separate things – and enlarging the group or unit does not necessarily mean reducing othering." -Hans Kundnani https://bit.ly/4sKzTy3

Hello Everyone, We are currently searching for a Communications Director to translate scholarship and ideas and disseminate them to targeted and priority audiences and partners. Please share widely! #OBI #Communications #Hiring Full details on the position: https://bit.ly/4rFWc7H

Join us at the University of California, Berkeley, on April 10 - 11, 2026, for a gathering that will explore the persistence of eugenic logics and practices in science, medicine, and technology, and how we can build a better future. Registration & more info: https://bit.ly/3MY4o4g

"Belonging isn’t a soft feeling—it’s a hard practice." -Blanca Macias on the Bridging for Democracy project, a coalition of grassroots organizations canvassing—door-to-door, across the country—to bridge across differences. #Bridging https://bit.ly/4bnvxqq

Hello Everyone, We are currently searching for a Communications Director to translate scholarship and ideas and disseminate them to targeted and priority audiences and partners. Please share widely! #OBI #Communications #Hiring Full details on the position: https://bit.ly/4rFWc7H

Our latest Substack post, originally published with @obi-belonging.bsky.social, explains why big tent pro-democracy organizing works and how to do it. https://thehorizonsproject.substack.com/p/facilitating-a-big-tent-critical

Why did a group of ICE agents eat lunch at a family-owned Mexican restaurant, only to return hours later to detain the employees? This #AskOBI gives us a clue. #AbolishICE #ICEOut #MigrantJustice #EndDetention #HumanityFirst #otheringandbelonging

New series: learning together, power + belonging, the dilemmas of bridging, and embodiment in activism. Big questions, real conversations, & insights for the pro-democracy movement.. Listen: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Bu5Q7EdMiYOWGz6l2v6uV?si=7baeca7606a64607 @obi-belonging.bsky.social

The panelists will be discussing their recent report, (En)Gendering Authoritarianism, for @obi-belonging.bsky.social. Read the 6 ways that authoritarians strategically leverage gender: belonging.berkeley.edu/engendering-...

The work of belonging asks us to stay present — to hold the circle open even when it would be easier to close it. Belonging is structural and spiritual. It lives in our laws, institutions, and shared accountability. It lives in our faith and dreams, and must be redeemed in our stories and practices.

Are you looking for an antidote to authoritarianism? Check out the latest from the Bridging for Democracy (B4D) project, a coalition of grassroots organizations that canvass door-to-door nationwide to bridge differences. Full story: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/long-bridging-rewiring-democracy

You’re invited to a FREE Playback theater, which is a dynamic, improvisational practice that brings the personal to life + Belonging Resident Company + Destiny Arts Center (970 Grace Avenue, Oakland) + WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, from 7:45 PM – 9:00 PM No need to sign up, just come through!

Are you looking for an antidote to authoritarianism? Check out the latest from the Bridging for Democracy (B4D) project, a coalition of grassroots organizations that canvass door-to-door nationwide to bridge differences. Full story: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/long-bridging-rewiring-democracy

Are you looking for an antidote to authoritarianism? Check out the latest from the Bridging for Democracy (B4D) project, a coalition of grassroots organizations that canvass door-to-door nationwide to bridge differences. Full story: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/long-bridging-rewiring-democracy

Join us Thursday, Feb 5, 9:30 am PST as we share innovative strategies for bridging across differences in CA and around the country. What happens if we organize beyond our usual base? Register today! bit.ly/oc-bridging

#OBI director john powell: There are moments when a society must pause — not to look away, but to look more carefully. Moments when we are asked not simply to react, but to reflect. To ask what kind of people we are becoming, and what kind of world we are quietly consenting to build.

In Minnesota, amid fear and violence, we see courage and connection. Where terror attempts to isolate, a powerful multiracial movement of neighbors has responded with linked arms. Full OBI statement: belonging.berkeley.edu/what-fierce-...

I'm thrilled to share this episode of the @obi-belonging.bsky.social's Real Solutions podcast, in which Sierra Kos of @weathersurvivors.bsky.social & I discuss climate-related disasters & solutions to increase community resilience & household financial safety nets. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/r...

"The choice is actually more up to us than it is up to them." - Dr. Feroze Sidhwa, speaking at What I Saw in Gaza: A Surgeon's Account In "What I Saw in Gaza: A Surgeon’s Account," Dr. Sidhwa provides eyewitness testimony as a trauma surgeon serving in the Gaza Strip.

Great work happening at the Othering and Belonging Institute @obi-belonging.bsky.social. #Belonging #Othering belonging.berkeley.edu/belonging-wi...

"Reclaiming spaces that once confined women against their will…can itself serve as a form of reparations." nonprofitquarterly.org/reclaiming-t...

The global effort to decarbonize is speeding up, but who is setting the rules? New research from OBI's Global Justice Program reveals how communities across the Asia-Pacific are rejecting "green growth." Read the report here: belonging.berkeley.edu/asia-pacific...

📌📢IN-PERSON EVENT📢📌Join us Dec 2 for the launch of 𝘈𝘥𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦: 𝘌𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘜𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯 𝘎𝘶𝘯 𝘝𝘪𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘙𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦, a new book from Jason Corburn and DeVone Boggan exploring how community-based approaches can end gun violence. Register for free at https://bit.ly/advancing-peace-dec2