Podcasts about belonging institute

In a time when many of us don't even know our neighbors, one community program is changing how people connect locally.In this episode, Jadonna and Dr. Elissa Lee of the California Volunteers Neighbor to Neighbor program, explore how a neighborhood-based program is helping strangers become neighbors, encouraging real relationships, and rebuilding a sense of community at the local level. They talk about why community connection matters, what actually helps people show up for each other, and how small programs can make a big difference in neighborhood life.Topics include: – Getting to know your neighbors – Community-building programs – Neighborhood engagement – Local connection and belonging – Why community matters more than everWebsite: https://www.californiavolunteers.ca.gov/neighbor-to-neighbor/ Organizations Referenced throughout the Episode:Weave: The Social Fabric Project: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/programs/weave-the-social-fabric-initiative/?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22337449436&gbraid=0AAAAA-vx0GENCk0kSSylQm3KF_A5Bsc0r&gclid=Cj0KCQiAhaHMBhD2ARIsAPAU_D4YQ56m37DU_AiRPbpvdhavxXZVGQI-ZQIdR_oXLk2aSDK80LdA6akaAnIPEALw_wcB Sam Pressler Connective Tissue Substack Newsletter: https://connectivetissue.substack.com/ WHO Coalition on Social Connection: https://www.who.int/groups/commission-on-social-connection Othering and Belonging Institute: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Thomas sits down with law professor and Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute, john a. powell, for a deep examination of humans' tendency to become divided, and how the narratives we construct around fearing other groups are actually a symptom of our fundamental drive for connection. They explore how our capacity for connection and community, driven by culture and storytelling, can produce divisiveness, and how we can use these same capacities to increase our empathy for suffering, deepen our embodiment, and overcome the fear, anxiety, and disconnect that result from collective trauma.This is a deep dive into the social and cultural drivers of disconnection, and an inspiring look at how we can tap into our spiritual and ancestral resources to bridge the divides that keep us stuck repeating the harmful patterns of the past.✨ Watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

Welcome to Art is Awesome, the show where we talk with an artist or art worker with a connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. Today, Emily chats with Christine Wong Yap, a visual artist working in printmaking, social practice, and community-based art.Christine discusses her latest project "Bay Windows/Ventanas," a trilingual public art installation featuring lanterns created with Chinese-speaking women in Chinatown and Spanish-speaking women in the Mission District. The lanterns, displayed at five locations through March 11th, explore themes of mental health, belonging, and immigrant experiences through traditional paper-cutting techniques.About Artist Christine Wong Yap:Christine Wong Yap is a visual artist and social practitioner who works in community engagement, drawing, printmaking, publishing, textiles, and public art. Through her hyperlocal participatory research projects, she gathers and amplifies grassroots perspectives on belonging, resilience, and mental well being. Last year, she received a a Creative Power Award from the Walter & Elise Haas Foundation and Creative Capital Award. She has served as Neighborhood Visiting Artist at Stanford University (Stanford, CA) and Creative Citizenship Fellow at the California College of the Arts (San Francisco, CA). She has developed projects with the Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco, For Freedoms, the Library Foundation of Los Angeles, the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, Times Square Arts, and the Wellcome Trust, among others. She holds a BFA and MFA in printmaking from the California College of the Arts. She was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she has lived since spending a decade in New York City from 2010 to 2021.Visit Christine's Website:  ChristineWongYap.comFollow Christine on Instagram:  @ChristineWongYapFor more about Christine's Bay Windows project and upcoming scavenger hunt CLICK HERETo learn about The Creative Capital Award CLICK HERE--About Podcast Host Emily Wilson:Emily a writer in San Francisco, with work in outlets including Hyperallergic, Artforum, 48 Hills, the Daily Beast, California Magazine, Latino USA, and Women's Media Center. She often writes about the arts. For years, she taught adults getting their high school diplomas at City College of San Francisco.Follow Emily on Instagram: @PureEWilFollow Art Is Awesome on Instagram: @ArtIsAwesome_Podcast--CREDITS:Art Is Awesome is Hosted, Created & Executive Produced by Emily Wilson. Theme Music "Loopster" Courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 LicenseThe Podcast is Co-Produced, Developed & Edited by Charlene Goto of @GoToProductions. For more info, visit Go-ToProductions.com Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Is it possible to build relational bridges, even in contentious times?Scholar and activist john a. powell says yes. He's dedicated his life to teaching others how to belong and bridge. As the director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the founder of the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota, powell — who spells his name in lowercase, to signify that “we are part of the universe, not over it” — studies equity and connection. His new book, “The Power of Bridging,” is his thesis that connecting with others and honoring their humanity is the only way to create a world where we all belong. powell came back to Minnesota on a cold night in early December, at the invitation of The Bush Foundation and MPR, to talk with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert about how to do the work of bridging, even at this divisive moment in history. He shared stories from his own life, talked about how to bridge (or not) with folks who don't want to bridge and discussed how the work of bridging and belonging is as much internal as external.

Keynote: Meeting the Moment Join us for two TED-style talks that will explore perceptions, misconceptions, and how we build shared moments in today's seemingly divisive times. You'll hear from Stephen Hawkins, More in Common and Ashlin Malouf, Othering & Belonging Institute Kristen Mack, MacArthur Foundation, will kick things off. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In 2025, The Communications Network annual conference took place in Denver, Colorado. Relive the energy of ComNet25! ComNet — the annual conference of The Communications Network — is the premier global leadership gathering for foundations and nonprofit leaders committed to building a better world through the smart and deliberate use of strategic communications. Join 1,000 of your colleagues from influential and consequential organizations around the world to connect, learn, and share at ComNet26 San Diego, learn more and register here: https://www.comnet26sd.org/ See what else we're up to: https://www.comnetwork.org/

 This week, our guest is Jelani Cobb, Dean of Columbia Journalism School and one of today's most important public intellectuals.  As a staff writer for The New Yorker, Cobb brings his deep knowledge of American history to contemporary subjects, particularly government and politics. His new book, “Three or More is a Riot”, combines narrative journalism, criticism and profiles that examine race and culture.  On October 16, 2025, Jelani Cobb came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk to john a. powell, founder and director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. 

“Our history is not a history of divide. Our history is a history of coming together in greater and greater numbers.” - john a. powellIn this special bonus episode, Thomas sits down with john a. powell, law professor and Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute, to investigate the root causes and social function of “othering.”Humans are wired for connection, and according to john, othering is actually an unfortunate byproduct of our desire to belong and survive within a specific group.He and Thomas explore how storytelling has shaped the trajectory of human evolution, and how we can embrace our inherent interconnectedness to write more inclusive and peaceful stories for our shared future.If you'd like to hear the full conversation between john and Thomas, it's one of over 30 talks included in the upcoming Collective Trauma Summit 2025. Click on the link below to register for this free online event.✨ Click here to watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

In this moment of radical transformation, shifting the societal pronoun from “me, me, me” to “we” may be the single most transformational pivot we can make in order for anything else to work. Our destiny is ultimately collective. How can we overcome corrosive divisions and separations that are tearing us apart and create a world where everyone belongs? In this program, we dip into a deep conversation on this topic between Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell, two long-time friends and leaders in a quest toward building a multicultural democracy. Featuring Angela Glover Blackwell is Founder-in-Residence at ⁠PolicyLink⁠, the organization she started in 1999 to advance racial and economic equity. One of the nation's most prominent, award-winning social justice advocates, she serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the inaugural Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve and California's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. john a. powell is the Director of the ⁠Othering and Belonging Institute⁠ and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. A former National Legal Director of the ACLU, he co-founded the ⁠Poverty & Race Research Action Council⁠ and serves on the boards of several national and international organizations. His latest book is: ⁠Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society⁠. Resources ⁠From Othering to Belonging | Bioneers 2022 Panel Discussion with Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell⁠ ⁠Angela Glover Blackwell – Transformative Solidarity for a Thriving Multiracial Democracy | Bioneers 2022 Keynote Address⁠ ⁠john a. powell – Healing Across Divides: Building Bridges to Challenge Systemic Injustice | Bioneers 2020 Keynote Address⁠ Credits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Producer: Teo Grossman Production Assistance: Anna Rubanova and Monica Lopez This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the ⁠radio and podcast homepage⁠ to learn more.

How can the transformative power of art and culture serve as the connective tissue in movements for democracy, justice, and deep societal change?In our divided world , building genuine, arts animated cross-sector collaboration is more than a goal—it's a necessity. This episode dives into how activist artists and cultural organizers can forge meaningful connections with their community social change partners and why our current systems often fail to support that.Discover the innovative approach of the Horizons Project and how it's redefining movement-building through authentic relationship weaving.Learn why sharing stories and cultural engagement are crucial in combating authoritarianism and fostering a thriving democracy.Understand how vulnerability, play, and arts are not just tools, but essential strategies for social transformation and collective sense-making.Tune in now to explore how Julia Roig and the Horizons Project are laying the groundwork for a new, interconnected way of organizing for democracy and justice.Notable Mentions:Here is a categorized list of all mentioned individuals, events, organizations, and publications, each accompanied by a brief description and a hyperlink for more in-depth information: PeopleJulia Roig – Founder and Chief Network Weaver at The Horizons Project, focusing on bridging peacebuilding, social justice, and democracy. Cristine Michie – Host of the PlayFull Podcast, where she discusses the role of play in social change. Jarvis Williams – Pastor and speaker who discusses the paradoxes within institutions and the importance of authentic belonging.Míriam Juan-Torres González – Moderator at the Othering & Belonging Institute, facilitating discussions on inclusive democracy.

Sitars and Symphonies: LA Composer Reena Esmail Fuses Indian Ragas with Western Rhythms We continue our California composers series with Reena Esmail. Her childhood in Los Angeles had two soundtracks: the Western classical music her parents loved, and the old, scratchy Bollywood tapes her paternal grandparents would play over and over. Those multicultural influences shaped what would become the driving question of her work: how do you invite people from different cultures onto the same stage to build a relationship and create music together? Composing is how Esmail has made her mark — by putting Western classical musicians in conversation with Indian artists, building bridges between violinists and sitar players, tabla drummers and western singers. She's an artist in residence with the Los Angeles Master Chorale, has composed with unhoused singers from Skid Row, and her music has been performed by major orchestras and choirs all over the world. How a UC Berkeley Professor Confronts Division With a Vision for Belonging Professor john a. powell spent much of his early life feeling like he didn't belong. At just 11 years old, he became estranged from his deeply religious family. After questioning church doctrine and not getting the answers he was looking for, powell — who spells his name in lowercase — left the church, and his father did not speak to him for five years. But that pivotal moment was the beginning of the path that led him to his life's work. powell is the director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, where he's also a professor of law, African American studies and ethnic studies. He's the author of two recent books, “Belonging Without Othering,” and “The Power of Bridging.” powell spoke with host Sasha Khokha as part of our series on Californians and resilience.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How do we change the story of corrosive racial inequity? First, we have to understand the stories we tell ourselves. In this program, racial justice innovators john a. powell and Heather McGhee show how empathy, honesty and the recognition of our common humanity can change the story to bridge the racial divides tearing humanity and the Earth apart. john a. powell is the Director of the ⁠Othering and Belonging Institute⁠ and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. His latest book is: ⁠Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society⁠. Watch his keynote from the 2017 Bioneers Conference: https://bioneers.org/john-a-powell-co-creating-alternative-spaces-to-heal-bioneers-2017/ Heather McGhee, distinguished senior fellow and former president of ⁠Demos⁠, is an award-winning thought leader on the national stage whose writing and research appear in numerous outlets, including The New York Times and The Nation. Her latest book is ⁠The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together.⁠ Watch her keynote from the 2017 Bioneers Conference: https://bioneers.org/heather-mcghee-a-new-we-the-people-for-a-sustainable-future/ This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the ⁠radio and podcast homepage⁠ to find out how to hear the program on your local station and how to subscribe to the podcast.

Today, we present a wild and flowering conversation between two poets, writers, philosophers, and theobiologians Bayo Akomalofe and Sophie Strand. This conversation is from a 2022 SAND Community Gathering. To hear the full conversation with Q&A from the live webinar you can view it here (with SAND Membership). In Greek Mythology, the Titan Kronos eats an indigestible stone and vomits up the new Olympic pantheon of gods. In our current time, people planted in stratigraphic layers of shared trauma find themselves uniquely ill – physically and mentally. We are unable to digest food and unable to digest violence. What if indigestion – practical and mythical – was a sign that a new world was threatening to be born? The very basis of our nucleated cells is an ancient botched bacterial cannibalism. What if our inability to digest certain injustices was an invitation to vomit up a new pantheon? And in an age when we are all threaded through with microplastics and blood pressure stabilizers, what does it mean to start to physically grow into new shapes around incursions we cannot properly assimilate or expel? Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains'. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Ancient Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California's (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute. He has also been appointed Senior Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany. He is the recipient of the New Thought Leadership Award 2021 and the Excellence in Ethnocultural Psychotherapy Award by the African Mental Health Summit 2022. Sophie Strand is a writer based in the Hudson Valley who focuses on the intersection of spirituality, storytelling, and ecology. Yet it would probably be more authentic to call her a neo-troubadour animist with a propensity to spin yarns that inevitably turn into love stories. Give her a salamander and a stone and she'll write you a love story. Sophie was raised by house cats, puff balls, possums, raccoons, and an opinionated, crippled goose. She believes strongly that all thinking happens interstitially – between beings, ideas, differences, mythical gradients. She is the author of The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine and The Madonna Secret. She is also finishing a collection of essays about navigating an incurable genetic disease and early trauma through ecological storytelling. You can subscribe to her newsletter at sophiestrand.substack.com, and follow her work on Instagram: @cosmogyny and at www.sophiestrand.com. Topics 00:00 Introduction and Welcome 01:35 Introducing Dr. Bayo Akomolafe 04:11 Introducing Sophie Strand 06:35 Starting the Conversation: New Gods in Challenging Times 13:54 Exploring Mispronunciation and Evolution 27:27 Animist Perspectives on Trauma 28:17 Healing in Yoruba Culture 30:29 Bioelectric Signals and Embryogenesis 35:40 The Role of Trickster Gods 38:26 Invasive Species and Ecosystem Dynamics 47:25 Disability as an Invitation to Community 55:32 Concluding Thoughts on New Gods Support the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

From a recent SAND Community Gathering (March 2025) At a time when our world can feel increasingly divided, and many are retreating into isolation, civil rights scholar john a. powell offers a transformative approach to building connections across differences. Drawing from his groundbreaking work with the Othering & Belonging Institute and his own journey, john shows how to stop perceiving differences as threats and instead use them as opportunities for deeper understanding and collective growth. Through rich personal stories and documented study, he explains how bridging practices can help us heal ruptures in our families, workplaces, and communities. This conversation explores practical ways to overcome the ‘us versus them' mindset that dominates our current discourse and create a world where everyone truly belongs. Whether we're struggling with political divides, generational gaps, or cultural differences, powell's insights offer concrete tools for building meaningful connections in an age of separation. john a. powell is a renowned scholar and advocate in civil rights, structural racism, constitutional law, housing, and belonging. As Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, he holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor's Chair in Equity and Inclusion and is a Professor of Law, Ethnic Studies, and African American Studies. johnapowell.org The Power of Bridging: How To Build A World Where We All Belong by john a. powell Topics 00:00 Introduction 00:41 Meeting john a. powell 02:24 john's Early Life and Spiritual Journey 08:02 The Concept of Belonging and Breaking 17:48 Navigating Fear and Anxiety in Activism 27:44 The Concept of Belonging vs. Inclusion 29:52 Personal Stories of Pain and Resilience 33:59 The Danger of a Single Story 39:24 Bridging Divides in the Middle East 43:44 The Power of Recognition and DignitySupport the mission of SAND and the production of this podcast by becoming a SAND Member

In a time where the threat of authoritarianism is on the rise, how might we take the next step toward creating truly equitable and thriving societies?This question, for many, may feel increasingly out of reach.And yet for redemptive thinker, and visionary leader john a. powell,it serves as one of the central lines of inquiry in his work. johh a. powell is the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, A civil rights advocate, And an author who has written books including: Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World. Woven throughout his writings and teachings - he brings our attention again and again to the root of inequality. A root born out of the process of 'othering'. A process that primes us to see people as a threat,which leads to fear, disconnection, and the fracturing of our society.And while John addresses the root cause of so much suffering,One of the things I greatly appreciate about his work is that he  simultaneously invites us to consider an alternative path.A way forward that calls upon the better angels of our nature. In his words:“We can overcome the illusion of separateness by honoring our differences, transcending the notion that difference divides us, and instead co-create a world where everyone belongs.”Today we will explore some of John's profound insights, stories, and practices for increasing belonging which include:Bridging, a practice which fosters acceptance both of those we might have othered, and aspects of ourselvesSpirituality and remembering our interconnected natureCuriosityThe power of presenceAnd ultimately how we can meet others, including ourselves, from a place of love instead of fearFor more on john, his work, and his new book The Power Bridging, please visit johnapowell.orgAnd for more on the incredible work coming out of the othering and belonging institute check out belonging.berkeley.eduDid you find this episode inspiring? Here are other conversations we think you'll love:On Wisdom and Love in Troubling Times | Mark Nepo & Elizabeth LesserOn Work, Friendship, and Embracing Impermanence | Parker Palmer & Jerry ColonnaEnjoying the show? Please rate it wherever you listen to your podcasts!Thanks for listening!Support the show

As author Michael Pollan observes: “The two biggest crises humanity faces today are tribalism and the environmental crisis. They both involve the objectifying of the other – whether that other is nature or other people.” How do we re-weave that web of relationships, and focus on our likenesses rather than our differences? In this program, racial justice advocates john a. powell, Eriel Deranger and Anita Sanchez explore how overcoming the illusion of separateness from nature and each other requires building bridges rather than burning them. They say the fate of the world depends on it. Featuring john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. Eriel Deranger (Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation), Executive Director of Indigenous Climate Action. Anita Sanchez, bestselling author, consultant, trainer and executive coach specializing in indigenous wisdom, diversity and inclusion, leadership, culture and promoting positive change in our world. Credits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Producer: Teo Grossman Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris

In Berkeley Talks episode 218, sociology professor Stephanie Canizales discusses her 2024 book, Sin Padres, Ni Papeles, about the experiences of undocumented immigrant youth as they come of age in the United States without their parents. Over six years, Canizales conducted 75 in-depth interviews with adult immigrants living in Los Angeles who came to the U.S. as unaccompanied children years before. “Many arrive in the U.S. to find that long-settled relatives who are constrained by their own legal and socioeconomic status are unable to offer material and emotional support, rendering children unaccompanied upon their arrival,” says Canizales, faculty director of the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI), at a December 2024 event on campus. “Young people might feel disoriented as they are thrust into material and emotional independence, and their role as low-wage workers in the U.S.”Today, about 146,000 unaccompanied children from Central America, Mexico and other countries are apprehended every year at the U.S.-Mexico border, says Canizales. That's double the number from 2014, when the U.S. declared a humanitarian crisis at the border. In addition to Canizales, the talk includes a panel of Berkeley professors who share their thoughts about the book, including Kristina Lovato, assistant professor of social welfare; Caitlin Patler, associate professor of public policy; and law professor Sarah Song, who moderates the conversation.This event took place on Dec. 3, and was part of the Author Meets Critics series by the UC Berkeley Social Science Matrix. It was cosponsored by the Department of Sociology, the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative (BIMI), the Center for Race and Gender, the Othering and Belonging Institute and the Latinx Research Center.Listen to the episode and read the transcript on UC Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu/podcasts).Music by Blue Dot Sessions.Image from Sin Padres, Ni Papeles book cover. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Monday we will, once again, inaugurate Donald Trump as president and, once again, it will come as the country is bitterly divided and often deeply confounded by people with opposing political views. We at Forum thought this would be a perfect time to listen back to our interview with john a. powell. He's director of UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute and his work focuses on communicating, and understanding each other's humanity, across divides. We talked to him about his institute's work and his new book “The Power of Bridging.” Guests: john a. powell, director, UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute; professor of Law, African American and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley

In Berkeley Talks episode 217, john a. powell and Stephen Menendian, director and assistant director of UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, discuss their 2024 book, Belonging Without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World. During the conversation, the scholars touch on the transformative role of imagination and storytelling, why responding to demagogues with condemnation doesn't work and how to create a world where everyone feels they truly belong. powell and Menendian contend that for people to feel a strong sense of belonging in society, they must see their own stories and experiences reflected in the broader social narrative that shapes their everyday lives. “What we say in the book is that if people don't see themselves in the story, not only will they reject the story, but they will reject it violently,” says Menendian, who supervises many of the institute's ongoing research projects and leads major initiatives. “People have to have a place for themselves in that future story.” “We're anxious as a world,” adds powell, a professor of law, ethnic studies and African American studies. “And the root of that anxiety is, will you belong in the next world? Most of us do not feel very secure. … When you have this deep anxiety caused by a rapid change, we make sense of it through stories.”This campus event, sponsored by the Othering and Belonging Institute, took place in October 2024. Founded in 2012, the institute conducts research and develops policies aimed at addressing exclusion, marginalization and inequality to create a more just society. Learn more about powell's and Menendian's book on the Othering and Belonging Institute's website.Listen to the episode and read the transcript on UC Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu/podcasts).Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest today is john a. powell, an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights and civil liberties. He's the former National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, and currently Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California.  powell's new book is a guide to fostering connections in today's fragmented society - what powell calls “bridging.” The book includes powell's personal story of isolation and eventual connection with his own family. On December 9, 2024, john a. powell came to the KQED studios in San Francisco to talk with Courtney Martin about "The Power of Bridging; How to Build a World Where We All Belong". NOTE: powell prefers to use lower case in writing his name. 

After the divisive 2016 presidential election, many families cut short Thanksgiving plans with their relatives of different political persuasions, according to a 2018 study. The result, writes law professor and civil rights advocate john a. powell, was that American families spent millions of fewer hours connecting and reflecting with each other. As director of UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute, powell thinks a lot about divisions in our society and how to bridge them. We talk to powell, author of the new book “The Power of Bridging” about how he thinks we should approach a second Trump administration…and the upcoming holiday season. Guests: john a. powell, director, UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute; professor of law, African American and ethnic studies at UC Berkeley

Tenzin and Eden spoke of a number of different resources in this episode which are listed below:Eden's website: https://www.deborahedentull.com/And the video of her home after the hurricane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH32y0ooVYQ&ab_channel=DeborahEdenTullThe GoFundMe page to help her after the disaster:https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-eden-and-mark-rebuild-after-heleneThe Othering and Belonging Institute: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/

When Wholeness Arrives with Bayo Akomolafe (Part 2)Ilia Delio and Bayo Akomolafe continue their conversation about navigating the legacy of modernity and our journey into the future as a species. Bayo shares his perspective on the legacies of ingenious thought—particularly how it's seen from the West. They ask, whether we ever arrive at wholeness? And what, if anything, does politics have to do with it?ABOUT BAYO AKOMOLAFE“The idea of slowing down is not about getting answers, it is about questioning our questions. It is about staying in the places that are haunted.”Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains'. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Local Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California's (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute, where he acts as the Forum's “provocateur in residence”, guiding Forum members in rethinking and reimagining our collective work towards justice in ways that reject binary thinking and easy answers. He has also been appointed Senior Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany. Read his introduction penned for the Democracy & Belonging Forum here. To learn more about his work, visit Bayo's website at here, and view the work of the Emergence Network here.Support the showA huge thank you to all of you who subscribe and support our show! Support for A Hunger for Wholeness comes from the Fetzer Institute. Fetzer supports a movement of organizations who are applying spiritual solutions to society's toughest problems. Get involved at fetzer.org. Support 'Hunger for Wholeness' on Patreon as our team continues to develop content for listeners to dive deeper. Visit the Center for Christogenesis' website at christogenesis.org to browse all Hunger for Wholeness episodes and read more from Ilia Delio. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for episode releases and other updates.

How (Post-)Humans Evolve with Bayo Akomolafe (Part 1)Ilia Delio is joined by the prolific writer and activist Bayo Akomolafe. Bayo shares with us about his Christian background, growing up as the son of a diplomat in Nigeria. Ilia asks Bayo about how he has uniquely wrestled with the legacy of modernity and Western thought and his own unique approach to process and post-humanist thought.ABOUT BAYO AKOMOLAFE“The idea of slowing down is not about getting answers, it is about questioning our questions. It is about staying in the places that are haunted.”Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains'. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Local Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California's (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute, where he acts as the Forum's “provocateur in residence”, guiding Forum members in rethinking and reimagining our collective work towards justice in ways that reject binary thinking and easy answers. He has also been appointed Senior Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany. Read his introduction penned for the Democracy & Belonging Forum here. To learn more about his work, visit Bayo's website at here, and view the work of the Emergence Network here.Support the showA huge thank you to all of you who subscribe and support our show! Support for A Hunger for Wholeness comes from the Fetzer Institute. Fetzer supports a movement of organizations who are applying spiritual solutions to society's toughest problems. Get involved at fetzer.org. Support 'Hunger for Wholeness' on Patreon as our team continues to develop content for listeners to dive deeper. Visit the Center for Christogenesis' website at christogenesis.org to browse all Hunger for Wholeness episodes and read more from Ilia Delio. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for episode releases and other updates.

Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is a widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak. Dr. Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network, a planet-wide initiative that seeks to convene communities in new ways in response to the critical, civilizational challenges we face as a species. He is host of the postactivist course/festival/event, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains' and currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Ancient Futures (Australia).In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California's (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute. He is also the inaugural Special Fellow of the Schumacher Centre for New Economics, the Inaugural Scholar in Residence for the Aspen Institute, the inaugural Special Fellow for the Council of an Uncertain Human Future, as well as Visiting Scholar to Clark University, Massachusetts, USA (2024). He has been Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and Visiting Critic-in-Residence for the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2023).Finally Bayo is the father to Alethea Aanya and Kyah Jayden Abayomi, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. In This EpisodeDr. Bayo Akomolafe's WebsiteBayo's writingsSocials:  FB: bayoakomolafeampersandIG: @the_emergence_networkBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-trauma-therapist--5739761/support.

In this special episode of "Gathering Ground," host Mary Morten, President of Morten Group, sat down for a live conversation with Monique Brunson Jones, President and CEO of Forefront, to discuss the organization's upcoming 50th-anniversary celebrations and its ongoing commitment to social impact.Forefront's United and Thriving summit takes place on September 25th, 2024 and features thought leadership from John Powell (Othering and Belonging Institute) and opportunities for networking and collaboration.Don't miss the chance to engage with Illinois' social sector leaders—register now for a day of learning, collaboration, and celebration!Links and Resources:- Forefront: myforefront.org- United and Thriving Summit: myforefront.org/event/2024-annual-summit-united-and-thriving- Converge Consulting: convergeconsulting.org- Othering & Belonging Institute: belonging.berkeley.edu/If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to Gathering Ground and leave us a review! Follow Morten Group, LLC on LinkedIn and on Instagram @mortengroup for updates and more content!

In this moment of radical transformation, shifting the societal pronoun from “me, me, me” to “we” may be the single most transformational pivot we can make in order for anything else to work. Our destiny is ultimately collective. How can we overcome corrosive divisions and separations that are tearing us apart and create a world where everyone belongs? In this program, we dip into a deep conversation on this topic between Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell, two long-time friends and leaders in a quest toward building a multicultural democracy. Featuring Angela Glover Blackwell is Founder-in-Residence at PolicyLink, the organization she started in 1999 to advance racial and economic equity. One of the nation's most prominent, award-winning social justice advocates, she serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the inaugural Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve and California's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. john a. powell is the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. A former National Legal Director of the ACLU, he co-founded the Poverty & Race Research Action Council and serves on the boards of several national and international organizations. His latest book is: Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society. Resources From Othering to Belonging | Bioneers 2022 Panel Discussion with Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell Angela Glover Blackwell – Transformative Solidarity for a Thriving Multiracial Democracy | Bioneers 2022 Keynote Address john a. powell – Healing Across Divides: Building Bridges to Challenge Systemic Injustice | Bioneers 2020 Keynote Address Credits Executive Producer: Kenny Ausubel Written by: Kenny Ausubel Senior Producer and Station Relations: Stephanie Welch Program Engineer and Music Supervisor: Emily Harris Host and Consulting Producer: Neil Harvey Producer: Teo Grossman Production Assistance: Anna Rubanova and Monica Lopez This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

Could you offer belonging to a person who is directly dehumanizing you without othering them?   In this thought-provoking episode, Ben McBride engages in a deep conversation with Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw, Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Ashlin shares her personal journey and insights on belonging, drawing from her Baha'i Faith and extensive experience in faith-based community organizing. She explores how we can build systems and practices that foster true belonging, and highlights the importance of addressing anger with agency. By the end, she'll uncover practical strategies for creating inclusive, dignified spaces in our communities and organizations.   Guest Bio: Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. She is driven by the growth and development of people, teams, and systems. Whether in the role of mediator, community organizer, coach, executive director, or chief of staff, she has led by inviting people into liberatory practices of dialogue, bridging, authenticity, and power building. From her experience, when courageous conversation, storytelling, vulnerability, and self-reflection are paired with concrete and coordinated strategies, progress is made.   Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw's LinkedIn profile

Could you offer belonging to a person who is directly dehumanizing you without othering them?   In this thought-provoking episode, Ben McBride engages in a deep conversation with Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw, Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. Ashlin shares her personal journey and insights on belonging, drawing from her Baha'i Faith and extensive experience in faith-based community organizing. She explores how we can build systems and practices that foster true belonging, and highlights the importance of addressing anger with agency. By the end, she'll uncover practical strategies for creating inclusive, dignified spaces in our communities and organizations.   Guest Bio: Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw is the Deputy Director of Strategy and Program at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley. She is driven by the growth and development of people, teams, and systems. Whether in the role of mediator, community organizer, coach, executive director, or chief of staff, she has led by inviting people into liberatory practices of dialogue, bridging, authenticity, and power building. From her experience, when courageous conversation, storytelling, vulnerability, and self-reflection are paired with concrete and coordinated strategies, progress is made.   Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw's LinkedIn profile

In this episode of Hawthorne Valley's Roots to Renewal podcast, we are honored to welcome Dr. Bayo  Akomolafe. Post humanist thinker, poet, teacher, essayist, and author. Together, he and our host, Martin Ping share a thought provoking conversation exploring a rich tapestry of ideas, beginning with Bayo's inspiring fellowship at the Schumacher Center for New Economics. The conversation delves into the concept of drifting and its relevance in our current times, the value of embracing uncertainty, grieving as a form of politics and so much more. It's a deep and reflective dialogue you won't want to miss. Learn more about Bayo's work and explore his writings and offerings at his website, https://www.bayoakomolafe.net. To get tickets for the carnival, Vunja: A Gathering of the Seeds, with Bayo Akomalafe and Friends at the Schumacher Center in Great Barrington on August 6-8, visit https://centerforneweconomics.org/events/vunja-carnival-2024/.More About Bayo:Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea Aanya and Kyah Jayden Abayomi, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity's Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network, a planet-wide initiative that seeks to convene communities in new ways in response to the critical, civilizational challenges we face as a species. He is host of the postactivist course/festival/event, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains'. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Ancient Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California's (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute. He is also the inaugural Special Fellow of the Schumacher Centre for New Economics, the Inaugural Scholar in Residence for the Aspen Institute, the inaugural Special Fellow for the Council of an Uncertain Human Future, as well as Visiting Scholar to Clark University, Massachusetts, USA (2024). He has been Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany, and Visiting Critic-in-Residence for the Otis College of Art and Design, Los Angeles (2023). He is the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from the California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) and has been Commencement Speaker in two universities convocation events. He is also the recipient of the New Thought Leadership AThanks for listening to Hawthorne Valley's Roots to Renewal podcast. We are an association comprised of a variety of interconnected initiatives that work collectively to meet our mission. You can learn more about our work by visiting our website at hawthornevalley.org. Hawthorne Valley is a registered 501c3 nonprofit organization, and we rely on the generosity of people like you to make our work a reality. Please consider making a donation to support us today. If you'd like to help us in other ways, please help us spread the word about this podcast by sharing it with your friends, and leaving us a rating and review.If you'd like to follow the goings-on at the farm and our initiatives, follow us on Instagram!

Is it possible to build a profitable expertise business that is 100% values-aligned and mission driven? Lucy Flores—who has built a design studio dedicated to co-creating a more just, joyful and sustainable U.S. food system—says yes, with the results to prove it:Why she niched her business into food equity right from the beginning—and how it played out.How she thinks about and builds alliances, coalitions and partnerships (hint: she doesn't have competitors).Her approach—as an introvert—to investing in relationships and meeting new people in her field.Why niching alone wasn't enough—and what changed when she started marketing regularly.Adopting a mindset of cautious optimism and deciding when it's “safe to fail”.LINKSLucy Flores Website | LinkedInRochelle Moulton Email List | LinkedIn | Twitter | InstagramBIOLucy is the founder of Studio Magic Hour, a collaborative design studio working to advance equity in the food system, and a former Equitable Design Fellow at Hopelab.She's partnered with organizations including the California Academy of Sciences, the Fair Food Network, Hopelab, The Nature Conservancy, Plant Futures, Share Our Strength, and the Southern Poverty Law Center to lead design and design research projects, facilitate workshops, and coach in-house design and innovation teams.Previously, she helped launch FoodCorps, a national nonprofit dedicated to cultivating joy, health, and justice for kids through nutritious food, in partnership with schools and community. She is a member of the Design Justice Network, the Democracy & Belonging Forum at the Othering and Belonging Institute, Equity Army, and AIGA.BOOK A STRATEGY CALL WITH ROCHELLERESOURCES FOR SOLOISTS10 Ways To Grow Revenue As A Soloist (Without Working More Hours): most of us have been conditioned to work more when we want to grow revenue—but what if we just worked differently?Master Soloist Events: in-person events for Soloists to gather and learn.The Soloist Women community: a place to connect with like-minded women (and join a channel dedicated to your revenue level).The Authority Code: How to Position, Monetize and Sell Your Expertise: equal parts bible, blueprint and bushido. How to think like, become—and remain—an authority.

In this moment of radical transformation, shifting the societal pronoun from “me, me, me” to “we” may be the single most transformational pivot we can make in order for anything else to work. Our destiny is ultimately collective. How can we overcome corrosive divisions and separations that are tearing us apart and create a world where everyone belongs? In this program, we dip into a deep conversation on this topic between Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell, two long-time friends and leaders in a quest toward building a multicultural democracy. Featuring Angela Glover Blackwell is Founder-in-Residence at PolicyLink, the organization she started in 1999 to advance racial and economic equity. One of the nation's most prominent, award-winning social justice advocates, she serves on numerous boards and advisory councils, including the inaugural Community Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve and California's Task Force on Business and Jobs Recovery. john a. powell is the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at UC Berkeley. A former National Legal Director of the ACLU, he co-founded the Poverty & Race Research Action Council and serves on the boards of several national and international organizations. His latest book is: Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Society. Resources From Othering to Belonging | Bioneers 2022 Panel Discussion with Angela Glover Blackwell and john a. powell Angela Glover Blackwell – Transformative Solidarity for a Thriving Multiracial Democracy | Bioneers 2022 Keynote Address john a. powell – Healing Across Divides: Building Bridges to Challenge Systemic Injustice | Bioneers 2020 Keynote Address This is an episode of the Bioneers: Revolution from the Heart of Nature series. Visit the radio and podcast homepage to learn more.

Escape Routes! That's the theme of the sixth season of Crazy Town. We're exploring how to escape industrialism, consumerism, globalism, capitalism, and all the other -isms that are causing a polycrisis of environmental and social breakdown. Most of all, Jason, Rob, and Asher are looking to maintain their sense of humor while escaping fatalism and finding meaningful ways to avoid collapse.Warning: This podcast occasionally uses spicy language.Sources/Links/Notes:Wikipedia article on China's Mango CultFrance's Dancing Plague of 1518Geoffrey Cohen, Belonging: The Science of Creating Connection and Bridging Divides, W. W. Norton, 2022Asch line experimentBystander Intervention Tip SheetSummary of Marvin Harris's work on cultural materialismResearch that extends Asch's conformity experiments and highlights the personality trait of openness as a key to resisting the behavior of conforming.Big Five Personality AssessmentOthering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, BerkeleySupport the show

The Common Good podcast is a conversation about the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation and the structure of belonging.  In this episode, Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp and Reverend Ben McBride speak with john a. powell. Greg Jarrell also jumps in to ask a couple questions.john a. powell is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racialization, racial identity, fair housing, poverty, and democracy. He is also the founding director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, a UC Berkeley research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world. The unique spelling of his name is john's way of signifying that we humans are part of the universe, not over it.Excerpts and Works Referenced in the Conversation:The Nature of Prejudice by Gordon W. AllportContact HypothesisA Poem in Three Parts: Meet Me ThereThe History of the Alinsky Organizing Model and Its Practice within Community and Organized LaborBowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community by Robert PutnamTargeted UniversalismThe Spirit Level: Why More Equal Societies Almost Always Do Better by by Kate Pickett and Richard WilkinsonAlso, check out our previous episode with Ben about his new book, Troubling the Water: The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging. You can also pre-order Greg's new book, Our Trespasses: White Churches and the Taking of American Neighborhoods.This episode was produced by Joey Taylor and the music is from Jeff Gorman. You can find more information about the Common Good Collective here. Common Good Podcast is a production of Bespoken Live & Common Change - Eliminating Personal Economic Isolation. 

The Common Good podcast is a conversation about the significance of place, eliminating economic isolation and the structure of belonging.  In this episode, Rabbi Miriam Terlinchamp and Reverend Ben McBride speak with john a. powell.john a. powell is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racialization, racial identity, fair housing, poverty, and democracy. He is also the founding director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, a UC Berkeley research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world. The unique spelling of his name is john's way of signifying that we humans are part of the universe, not over it.Excerpts and Works Referenced in the Conversation:Story of Moses in the Study Hall of Rabbi AkivaLessons from Suffering by john a. powellSapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah HaririWarmth of Other Suns by Isabel WilkersonBob Marley - Running AwayJerry Butler - Need to Belong (to Someone)A Poem in Three Parts: A Story of We Also, check out our previous episode with Ben about his new book, Troubling the Water: The Urgent Work of Radical Belonging.This episode was produced by Joey Taylor and the music is from Jeff Gorman. You can find more information about the Common Good Collective here. Common Good Podcast is a production of Bespoken Live & Common Change - Eliminating Personal Economic Isolation. 

This week we are excited to continue our collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute to bring you a conversation from The Othering and Belonging Conference in Berlin, Germany.This conversation is introduced by Monica Jiang, is moderated by Cecilie Surasky and features the voices of Udi Raz and Yasmeen Daher. Speaking on the theme “Turning Towards Each Other, Not Against Each Other: Bridging in Times of Crisis” the panelists address what it means to build towards co-liberation in difficult times – especially in the context of the war on Gaza. Since this conversation was recorded on November 14, 2023, the genocide in Gaza has continued and worsened, and the loss of so many lives is tragic and incomprehensible. The words offered here aim to make space to honor pain and simultaneously to explore generative forms of allyship in the face of such violence.  Music by Amo Amo and Ariana Saraha. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

Tracy K. Smith is the author of five acclaimed poetry collections, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Life on Mars. Her memoir, Ordinary Light, was a finalist for the National Book Award. From 2017 to 2019, she served as the 22nd Poet Laureate of the United States. In 2020, heartsick from constant assaults on Black life, Smith found herself soul-searching, and digging into the historical archive for help navigating the “din of human division and strife.” In her new book, To Free the Captives: A Plea for the American Soul, Smith draws on several avenues of thinking – personal, documentary, and spiritual– to understand who we are as a nation and what we might hope to mean to one another. On November 10, 2023, Tracy K. Smith came to the Sydney Goldstein Theater in San Francisco to talk with john a. powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute and a Professor of Law and Professor of African American Studies and Ethnic Studies at the University of California.

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share this conversation between Báyò Akómoláfé, Sa'ed Atshan, and Cecilie Surasky. Starting from the premise that all people belong and all lives are grievable, Bayo, Cecilie, and Sa'ed will explore how honoring each other's grief may allow us to reclaim each other's humanity and perhaps shed light on a path forward to belonging in Israel-Palestine, for Muslims, Jews, and Christians, and for all people around the world. Bayo, Sa'ed, and Cecilie will journey into what it might be like to glimpse at the world through tears: what visions are possible when we postpone the compulsion to see everything clearly?“The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

Dahr Jamail speaks with Dr. Yuria Celidwen about how we must find true belonging and true community with both humans and the more-than-human world. Yuria discusses a broader statement she created that she calls “the ethics of belonging,” which encourages awareness, intention, relational well-being, and actions towards planetary flourishing. She also talks about spirit medicine, why she is not fond of the word "hope," dreaming, non-linear time, and much more.Dr. Yuria Celidwen, a native of Nahua and Maya descent from Chiapas, Mexico, has been conducting research that combines the vibrant threads of Indigenous studies, cultural psychology, and contemplative science. Yuria is a senior fellow at the Other and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley.

In Berkeley Talks episode 184, Richard Rothstein, a senior fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, and housing policy expert Leah Rothstein discuss their 2023 book, Just Action: How to Challenge Segregation Enacted Under the Color of Law. The conversation was moderated by Tamika Moss, founder and CEO of the Bay Area organization, All Home. In the book, the father-daughter co-authors describe how unconstitutional government policy on the part of federal, state and local governments created the segregation that we know in this country today, where every metropolitan area has clearly defined areas that either are all white or mostly white, and clearly defined areas that are all Black or mostly Black."We had a myth term that what we had in this country was 'defacto segregation,' something that just happened because of private bigotry or discriminatory actions on the part of private businesses or people just liking to live with each other of the same race ... something that just happened by accident," said Richard Rothstein, author of the 2017 book, The Color of Law, and a distinguished fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and senior fellow emeritus of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. "And the reason that that distinction is so important is because if it just happened by accident, then we might not like it, but it's easy to think that the only way it's going to unhappen is by accident. But when we understand that this is the creation of racially explicit written public policy on the part of federal, state and local governments ... (and) if we take our responsibilities as citizens of this country seriously, then we know we have an obligation to fix it, to undo this unconstitutional system."Listen to the episode and read the transcript on Berkeley News (news.berkeley.edu).Music by Blue Dot Sessions. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If you're a long-time listener, you've definitely heard us discuss the golden rule of middle out economics: The more people you include in the economy, the faster and more prosperous it grows for everybody. The Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute, john a. powell, agrees that inclusion is the key to a thriving economy, and he joins us to explain why the concept of belonging is so important for a healthy community. This episode originally aired on May 24, 2022. john a. powell is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley. Twitter: @profjohnapowell Targeted universalism: a solution for inequality? https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/local/california/targeted-universalism/509-2127090b-7f50-4a91-91e7-04c47acf3309 Othering & Belonging Institute https://belonging.berkeley.edu/john-powell Pre-Order Nick's new book, Corporate Bullsh*t https://www.corporatebsbook.com Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick's twitter: @NickHanauer

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share this conversation between Báyò Akómoláfé, Madhulika Banerjee, and Minna Salami. Speaking on the theme, “Democracy and Its Exquisite Others,” Báyò, Madhulika, and Minna delve into an exploration of what it means to truly participate in democracy, as an embodied, collective action. In this thoughtful and informed episode, they investigate the idea of “Eurocracy'' and unpack what the eurocentric definition of democracy has meant for the world as a whole. Envisioning other ways of creating democracy,  Báyò, Madhulika, and Minna describe festival democracy, democracies of contestations and dancing, and democracies of the more-than-human.“The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun  generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label and by Maree Siou. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share this conversation between Báyò Akómoláfé, Naomi Klein and Yuria Celidwen. Speaking about climate grief and hope, Báyò, Naomi, and Yuria build together to consider the value in tapping into the depth of emotion as we feel it, not as we are told we should feel it. In a time marked by disruption, loss, and demise, grief may be an invitation into depths that demand to be listened to, and as we embody the grieving process we are called to surrender to feeling. “The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun, generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label and Mikalya McVey. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.To listen to the extended episode, join us on Patreon at patreon.com/forthewild.Support the show

Two states and several cities have decriminalized the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Many more states are considering legislation to provide more widespread public access to hallucinogens. That has some Indigenous people worried about maintaining an adequate supply of natural psychoactive plants for ceremonies. We'll hear about the evolving demand for hallucinogenic plants and what practitioners say needs to be done to protect them as the push for legalization continues. GUESTS Dr. Yuria Celidwen (Nahua and Maya), Indigenous scholar, activist, and senior fellow of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley Marlena Robbins (Diné), second-year doctoral student at the School of Public Health at University of California, Berkeley   Miriam Volat, co-director and board member of the Indigenous Medicine Conservation Fund, co-director of the Riverstyx Foundation, and board member of the Indigenous Peyote Conservation Initiative Dr. Osiris Garcia Cerqueda (Mazatec from Huautla de Jimenez in Oaxaca, Mexico), history professor at the Meritorious Autonomous University of Puebla

On this episode of Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast, Julie Nelson, Senior Vice President of Programs at Race Forward and john a. powell, Director, Othering and Belonging Institute, come together in a conversation inspired by the recent essay they co-authored, “Advancing Just, Multiracial Democracy.” Throughout the conversation, they explore the role local municipalities can play in not only defending against “democratic backsliding,” but also in expanding the very nature of democracy, which is critical with the global rise of authoritarianism and nationalism. Julie and john's work rests on the idea that local governments are uniquely situated to turn grim situations built on “othering” into a global movement grounded in racial justice and belonging. They examine the four principles they wrote about, which includes: 1. expanding democratic practice; 2. being explicit about who is currently included or excluded; 3. systems and structures; and 4. operationalizing and organizing for multiracial democracy. To listen to more of Momentum: A Race Forward Podcast check us out on Apple Podcasts and Spotify and remember that you can support our work by texting “RFPOD" to 44-32. Every donation supports Race Forward's work. Resources (by order of mention) Advancing Just, Multiracial Democracy (via The German Marshall Fund)https://bit.ly/447aX7t john a powell https://belonging.berkeley.edu/john-powell Democracy and Belonging Forumhttps://bit.ly/3Xot32I Government Alliance on Race and Equity (GARE)https://www.racialequityalliance.org/ Racing to Justice: Transforming our Concepts of Self and Other to Build an Inclusive Societyhttps://belonging.berkeley.edu/racing-justice The German Marshall Fund https://www.gmfus.org/ The Chicago Council on Global Affairs https://globalaffairs.org/ About Race Forward:  Race Forward catalyzes movement building for racial justice. In partnership with communities, organizations, and sectors, we build strategies to advance racial justice in our policies, institutions, and culture. Race Forward imagines a just, multiracial, democratic society, free from oppression and exploitation, in which people of color thrive with power and purpose. Follow Race Forward on social media Follow us on Facebook:www.facebook.com/raceforward Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/raceforward Follow us on Instagram: www.instagram.com/raceforward Building Racial Equity (BRE) Trainings  www.raceforward.org/trainings Subscribe to our newsletter:www.raceforward.org/subscribe Executive Producers: Hendel Leiva, Cheryl Cato Blakemore

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share Báyò Akómoláfé in conversation with scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor.  Speaking on the theme "What if justice gets in the way?,” Báyò and Keeanga engage in a lively conversation that considers how our quest for justice shapes us and is simultaneously shaped by systems of power and control. Together, they ask: how can we move justice out of the existing political paradigm and move beyond a normative sense of justice and reform? “The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun, generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

 Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share Báyò Akómoláfé in conversation with Indy Johar of Dark Matter Labs. Speaking on the theme “A New Theory of the Self,” Báyò and Indy dive into the milieu of life forms entangled together on earth. The conversation asks listeners to reconsider the objective nature of self and the word around us that has been so deeply ingrained within the architecture of society. Rejecting these notions of completion and singularity, Báyò and Indy engage in a conversation that calls attention to the aliveness of the world, to the agency and intelligence of our entangled minds, and to life as an ongoing process. How might we move beyond constraining ideas of order, power, and control in order to recognize and take part in relational ecological emergence?“The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun, generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

Indigenous scholar Yuria Celidwen guides us in a meditation to strengthen our sense of belonging and connection to the earth. This Happiness Break is part of our special series, Climate, Hope & Science. In it, we explore the intersection of environmental well-being and our own well-being, where taking care of ourselves and the planet are one in the same and feeling good is not only possible, it's helpful. Listen to the rest of the series, which was released in our feed April 22–May 18, 2023. How to Do This Practice: Find a comfortable position wherever you are located. Direct your attention to your feet and the surface below them. Try to cultivate a sense of belonging in that space under your feet. Let your breath guide your attention back to your feet and upward to your heart and head. Feel a sense of openness as you welcome the warmth of the sun into your heart. Acknowledge the transformative power of the earth and your role within it. Today's Happiness Break host: Dr. Yuria Celidwen is an Indigenous scholar whose work focuses on Indigenous contemplative traditions and advocating for the rights of Indigenous peoples and lands. She is a senior fellow at the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley and has worked with numerous organizations including the United Nations. Learn more about Yuria: https://www.yuriacelidwen.com/ Find out more about Yuria's work at the Othering and Belonging Institute: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/yuria-celidwen More resources from The Greater Good Science Center: How Nature Can Make You Kinder, Happier, and More Creative: https://tinyurl.com/d2vzpsaj What Happens When We Reconnect With Nature: https://tinyurl.com/553xwm47 How to Protect Kids from Nature-Deficit Disorder: https://tinyurl.com/4usewuzj How Nature Helps Us Heal: https://tinyurl.com/2p93682j Why is Nature So Good for Your Mental Health? https://tinyurl.com/bdetmjt3 Five Ways to Develop “Ecoliteracy”: https://tinyurl.com/2zuj6smv Green With Empathy: https://tinyurl.com/42rk4m2m We love hearing from you! Tell us about your experience with this meditation. Email us at happinesspod@berkeley.edu or use the hashtag #happinesspod. Find us on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap Help us share Happiness Break! Leave us a 5-star review and copy and share this link: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap We're living through a mental health crisis. Between the stress, anxiety, depression, loneliness, burnout — we all could use a break to feel better. That's where Happiness Break comes in. In each biweekly podcast episode, instructors guide you through research-backed practices and meditations that you can do in real-time. These relaxing and uplifting practices have been shown in a lab to help you cultivate calm, compassion, connection, mindfulness, and more — what the latest science says will directly support your well-being. All in less than ten minutes. A little break in your day. The Science of Happiness would like to extend a special thanks to *Eva Frye for their support of this series.*

Continuing the conversation series, “The Edges in the Middle,” presented in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute, For The Wild is delighted to share Báyò Akómoláfé in conversation with V (formerly known as Eve Ensler, playwright, author, and founder of V-Day and One Billion Rising). Speaking on the theme “The Promise and Limits of Restitution: Returning to ‘Congo,'” Báyò and V dance together in a conversation that shows us portals of possibility that edge us towards deep change. Discussing the Congo as both place and portal, Báyò and V contemplate the persistent and fugitive glimmer of possibility within trauma and repression. As we pay slow, deep attention and care to unraveling and processing our stories, how might we create the sacred space from which movement and growth may flow?   “The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun, generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

This week we are rebroadcasting our interview with john a. powell, originally aired in May 2019. If you enjoy this week's episode, make sure you listen to the first episode in our special series The Edges in the Middle, which features a conversation between john a. powell and Báyò Akómoláfé .Now more than ever, we are reminded of the vital importance of creating practices that strengthen and recognize our shared humanity. However, in order to do so, we must examine the systems, ideologies, and actions that have emboldened us to deny humanity in the first place. At the beginning of this week's episode, john a. powell defines any practice which denies someone's humanity as an act of “othering.” Both at home and abroad it seems we are witnessing a surge of "othering," whether it is reflected in election cycles, the rise of ethnonationalism, or the pervasiveness of violent acts. We must wonder, how and why do societies rely on the process of othering? And more importantly, how do we move into engagement, organizing, and “bridging?”john a. powell (who spells his name in lowercase in the belief that we should be "part of the universe, not over it, as capitals signify") is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty, and democracy.  He is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, a research institute that brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world.Music by Ani DiFranco. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show

For The Wild is honored to present a series of conversations entitled, “The Edges in the Middle,” in collaboration with UC Berkeley's Othering and Belonging Institute. In the first of these conversations, Báyò Akómoláfé speaks with john a. powell, Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute. Speaking on the theme “When ‘just getting along' isn't enough: Is belonging possible in a world rooted in othering?,” Báyò and john contemplate the ontological weight of our desire for belonging. How might we learn how to belong together? Articulating both the harsh realities of modern day division and the simultaneous reality of our connection to each other and to the earth, Báyò and john examine what it means to be “other” and to invite in the “monstrous” and the “strange.” “The Edges in the Middle” is a series of conversations between Báyò Akómoláfé and thought companions like john a. powell, V, Naomi Klein, and more. These limited episodes have been adapted from Báyò's work as the Global Senior Fellow at UC Berkeley's Othering & Belonging Institute. In this role, Báyò has been holding a series of public conversations on issues of justice and belonging for the Institute's Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects and resources civic leaders in Europe and the US who are committed to bridging across difference to strengthen democracy and advance belonging in both regions and around the world. Báyò's conversations encourage us to rethink justice, hope, and belonging by sitting amidst the noise, not trying to cover it up with pleasant rhythms. To learn more about the Democracy & Belonging Forum, visit democracyandbelongingforum.org.   Music by Sitka Sun, generously provided by The Long Road Society Record Label. Visit our website at forthewild.world for the full episode description, references, and action points.Support the show