Activate belonging through the power of creativity and agency! Our Power Hour will feature a set of concurrent spaces designed for one purpose: find a way to plug in and take tangible action to CREATE and COMMIT to something during O&B26 curated by Mahogany Mayfield.

Here's a sneak peek at The Commons, OBCONF26's vibrant community space, featuring art exhibits, and more, curated by OBI’s Digital Communications Manager, Christian Ivey. The Commons features Louisville locals: DJ Ayomi, Sara Noori, Carmichael's Bookstore, and more.

In coordination with national and European partners, we are thrilled to offer pre-conference sessions the day before O&B26 begins. These "learning labs" are intimate, smaller spaces that offer deeper learning and concrete ways to support those work.

What would it look like to build government systems and offerings together that truly work for all? OBI’s report, Governing for Belonging, invites us to imagine a different relationship between government and its citizens. Full report: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/governing-for-belonging

The countdown has begun! In less than a month, #OBCONF26 will be in Louisville. During the breakout blocks we are offering 18 interactive breakout sessions of 90 minutes of practice, analysis, storytelling, and strategy. Full agenda: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/conference/agenda

How does climate change show up in our daily lives? In this latest #AskOBI, director of research Hossein Ayazi, Ph.D., connects the threads between how the change in climate shows up in our lives outside of record breaking temperatures.

During his visit to Northern Ireland, john a. powell from @obi-belonging.bsky.social shared how individuals and communities can go about building bridges. Read more about john's visit and work here: www.socialchangeinitiative.com/from-otherin...

Join Jasbir Puar in conversation with Salar Mameni on 09/24 for a talk on This Death is Not One (Bilnaes 2026). This event is part of "Where does trans/queer theory live now? Center for the Study of Sexual Culture at 25." Learn more below! @obi-belonging.bsky.social @ucberkeleyenglish.bsky.social

We are one month away from the 2026 Othering & Belonging Conference in Louisville. Can you believe it? We have a range of 90 min breakout sessions on practice, analysis, storytelling, and strategy. Here's a sneak peek. We are in. Are you? Details: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/conference/agenda

We are excited to bring the Belonging in Action Poster Gallery to the 2026 Othering and Belonging Conference in Kentucky. Here's a sneak peek of what you all can expect this October! We are in. Are you? https://belonging.berkeley.edu/conference

"When we talk about bridging, it’s not to avoid the tough necessary conditions to avoid repair. It’s to create the conditions to have them. And the condition to have that conversation… is to have deep care and love for each other.” - Cecilie Surasky at our last conference.

ICYMI hashtag#OBI's latest Blog on #WorldCup & #Belonging by Jose Richard Aviles "Belonging is in the fans' hands, and the question is whether we can carry it beyond the game. What would it mean to alchemize fandom into civic life?"

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...

Impact Story: A Belonging Table takes shape in Washington for communities hungry for connection

In Washington, an emerging “network of networks” is working across sectors to rebuild trust, civic connection, and create systems where more people feel they truly belong

belonging.berkeley.edu

‘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...

How worried should you be about Ebola?

Infectious disease expert Dr. Charles Whittaker on how public health can stop a pandemic.

publichealth.berkeley.edu

"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...

Why Build Long Bridges?

Read the fourth piece in the Blueprint for Belonging paper series, "New Organizing Strategies for California’s Future," featuring Miguel Hernandez of the OCCCO, a faith-rooted, community-led organizat...

belonging.berkeley.edu

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...

Impact Story: Building Belonging

The Denver Foundation leaders talk about their effort to connect Colorado residents through Belonging Colorado, a long-term initiative that aims to bring residents together to strengthen communities a...

belonging.berkeley.edu

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

the Othering and Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley@obi-belonging.bsky.social · 6mo ago

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!

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?...

Belonging Practice Community: Sign up for the Next Cohort

YouTube video by Othering & Belonging Institute

youtu.be

“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...

Belonging in Action

OBI’s Places of Belonging program supports community efforts to rebuild trust, share power, and create systems where everyone belongs.

belonging.berkeley.edu

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

How Authoritarians Weaponize Gender

YouTube video by Carnegie Endowment

youtube.com

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...

On My Mind & In My Heart

We currently live in a world that is rapidly changing. And depending on where you stand, many would say it is for the worse.

belonging.berkeley.edu

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

Equity vs. Equality: What's the Difference?

There is a clip of US Senator Bernie Sanders making the rounds from a recent episode of Bill Maher’s HBO program, in which the host asked Senator Sanders to distinguish “equality” from “equity.” Senat...

belonging.berkeley.edu

"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

On My Mind & In My Heart

We currently live in a world that is rapidly changing. And depending on where you stand, many would say it is for the worse.

belonging.berkeley.edu