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WE ALL BELONG IN THE CIRCLE OF HUMAN CONCERN

Othering is the problem of our time. Belonging is the solution.

The Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley advances groundbreaking approaches to transforming structural marginalization and inequality. We are scholars, organizers, communicators, researchers, artists, and policymakers committed to building a world where all people belong.

Inclusiveness Index 2024

The Index examines the degree of inclusivity experienced by marginalized groups across the globe and within the United States. Now in its ninth year of publication, it is more comprehensive than ever before with 23 more countries than the previous year and new measures for climate change.

Featured Work

Publication
March 20, 2025

Meaningful Measurements of Mobility

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

Publication
February 5, 2025

Living into the Future

In response to constant, increasing threats of housing insecurity and displacement, marginalized communities in California have long fought for the ability to stay rooted in, and collectively shape the future of, the places they call home. Their...

Publication
February 24, 2025

FAQ: Racial Equity Legal Guidance

This FAQ is was created to accompany our more robust legal guidance document, Advancing Racial Equity: Legal Guidance for Advocates. Is consideration of race in public policymaking or public programs illegal or unconstitutional? As a follow up then...

Areas of Work

The faculty, staff, researchers, and affiliates of the Othering & Belonging Institute work together with multidisciplinary approaches to learn, research, and construct solutions for society's most pressing issues. Our programs and initiatives are all designed to effect transformative change.

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Areas of Work

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Arts and Cultural Strategy

Othering & Belonging Conference

Bridging & Belonging

Climate Justice

Health

Food Systems

Housing

Islamophobia

Narrative Power

Targeted Universalism

Transformative Research Toolkit

Introduction We have seen and participated in transformative research strategies that defeated proposed jail expansions, won millions of dollars for community-prioritized programs, and built new community-led organizations that changed a political...

Featured Publications

Bridging and Power Building Paper Series

This series looks at the longstanding art and science of organizing, in relation to today’s social dynamics. Our premise is that for us to build power, we need to bridge across lines of difference in ways more radical than ever before. This series is authored by a working group from across California...

Principles for Reframing the National Security Narrative

Our public discourse is seeded with dangerous and counterproductive ideas concerning national security that are so deeply embedded we may often be unaware that we, as story tellers, are invoking or reinforcing them in our own narrations. Thus, over...

Structural Racism Explained

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

The Chronicle of Philanthropy: A Hopeful New Way to Pursue Racial Equity

When john a. powell arrived at the University of California at Berkeley about a decade ago, he found a competition that spoke to a struggle outside academia. The nationally renowned civil-liberties scholar (who spells his name all lowercase) had been picked to lead...

Berkeley News: Facing legal peril, Trump stokes racial resentment in his base

UC Berkeley scholars, including Othering & Belonging Institute Director john a. powell, say that by attacking the prosecutors and judges in his cases, the former president is trying to discredit the charges, rally supporters — and undermine the rule...

Berkeley Public Health: The legacy of eugenics

Professor Osagie Obasogie has teamed up with the Los Angeles Review of Books (LARB) to launch a two-year project called Legacies of Eugenics. It’s a national conversation on the history of eugenics and the ways it still shapes various aspects of...

November 12, 2024

NYT: Why ‘Affordable Housing’ in New York City Can Still Cost $3,500 a Month

The New York Times cites our national segregation research in a November 19 article, titled, " Why ‘Affordable Housing’ in New York City Can Still Cost $3,500 a Month." The article reads: "Some of the most popular neighborhoods are affordable to only...

December 9, 2024

john a. powell talks to Star Tribune, KQED about new book on bridging

The Minnesota Star Tribune earlier this month published an interview with OBI Director john a. powell about his new book, The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong. “What bridging says is, ‘Let’s take the time to be curious...