The Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, led by director john a. powell, brings together researchers, organizers, communicators, policymakers, artists, and community leaders to advance groundbreaking approaches for transforming structural marginalization and inequality. Founded in 2012 as the Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, the Institute uses multidisciplinary methods to identify and eliminate barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society. The organization’s work centers on the concept of “belonging without othering,” where belonging means more than access—it means having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures. The Institute conducts research, develops strategic narratives, and creates policy solutions addressing issues such as structural racism, affordable housing, mass incarceration, authoritarianism, and environmental justice. Through innovative communications and cultural strategies, they work to reframe public discourse from narratives of control and fear toward ones that recognize the humanity of all people and celebrate our interconnectedness.
