March 10, 2021
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Let's not let our leaders drive a wedge between us
Director john a. powell published a new piece today addressing anti-Asian violence and bias. The piece offers historical context to frame the recent attacks on Asians widely reported in the media, and cautions against adopting an overly simplistic tale of a racial conflict pitting the Black community against the Asian community. He writes:
"It is very clear that anti-Asian attacks and bias exist today as they have for a long time, and should be widely condemned, no matter who the culprits are. We must also not ignore the reality that there is and can be tension between any two marginalized communities, including Blacks and Asians. ... We need a new story where we all can contribute and co-create, one that acknowledges our respective suffering, and that insists that we all belong not because we agree, but because we care and we are human."
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Podcast: The economic case for a $15 minimum wage
In the latest episode of our Who Belongs? podcast we hear about the economic benefits of raising the federal minimum wage to at least $15 an hour from Michael Reich, a Professor of Economics and Chair of the Center on Wage and Employment Dynamics at UC Berkeley. Reich is a leading expert on minimum wage research and has published extensively on the topic, including a recent study on how minimum wage hikes reduce racial wage gaps between Black and white workers. Listen to the interview here.
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Join us this Friday, March 12 at 12pm PT / 3pm ET for a panel discussion, titled: "Trumpism and its Discontents," featuring influential UC Berkeley scholars who will offer a deep and crucial examination of the political conditions that led to the rise of Donald Trump and the consequences of his presidency on US society and the world.
Speakers include:
- Osagie K. Obasogie (moderator), Professor of Bioethics
- Ann C. Keller, Associate Professor of Health Politics and Policy
- Zeus Leonardo, Professor in the Graduate School of Education
- john a. powell, Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute
- Catherine Albiston, Professor of Law
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ICYMI: Infecting the COVID-19 Response and Corrupting Democracy
Last week we broadcast our latest installment of our #RiseUp4Justice livestream series, where a panel of organizers and scholars, each from a different region of the country, discussed how the far-right is using the pandemic to exacerbate racial othering and undermine democracy. They included OBI Associate Director Denise Herd; Sky Allen from Inland Empowerment, Art Reyes from We the People Michigan, and moderator Phi Nguyen from Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. Watch a recording of the event, and read news coverage of it in the DailyCal.
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Other OBI updates
New releases:
- Director john a. powell and staff researcher EJ Toppin published a new article in The Columbia Journal of Race and Law, titled, "Uprooting Authoritarianism: Deconstructing the Stories Behind Narrow Identities and Building a Society of Belonging."
- Global Justice Program Director Elsadig Elsheikh published a new piece on the source of food insecurity in Africa in a new magazine, called Sandwich Magazine. He also participated in this online launch event for the magazine, titled, "The African Scramble: Culture, Cuisine and Colonialism."
Upcoming events:
- March 12: Trumpism and its Discontents
- March 30: Climate Displacement: A Solutions-Based Panel
- April 21: Othering & Belonging Summit
In the news:
- Faculty scholar Denise Herd was interviewed for this article in Courthouse News Service, titled, “Vaccination Shortages Highlight Uneven Distribution in Los Angeles.”
- Faculty scholar Rucker Johnson, a labor economist who specializes in the economics of education, particularly concerning the role of poverty and inequality in affecting life chances, was inducted this week as a Fellow of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (AAPSS) for 2021.
- Faculty scholar Claire Snell-Rood was interviewed for this article in The DailyCal, titled, “UC Berkeley researchers investigate opioid addiction treatments in rural areas.”
- Assistant Director Stephen Menendian was quoted in this article in The DailyCal, titled, “‘A symbolic step’: Berkeley to end exclusionary zoning by 2022.”
- Faculty scholar Cristina Mora was interviewed for this article in Berkeley News, titled, “Latinx, Native Americans carry heavier pandemic burden, new poll reports.”
- Faculty scholar Ian Haney López was interviewed on the NPR podcast All Things Considered about Critical Race Theory And 'Dog Whistle Politics'.
- Faculty scholar Hilary Hoynes was quoted in this blog, titled, “Biden’s relief package should focus on low-income households say expert US economists,” and this NPR interview, titled, “With One Move, Congress Could Lift Millions Of Children Out Of Poverty.”
- Faculty scholar Emmanuel Saez was cited in an article by The New York Times, titled, “Sen. Elizabeth Warren revives the wealth tax, citing pandemic inequalities,” and in an article by Mother Jones, titled, “1 in 4 Black and Latino Families Were Underwater Even Before the Pandemic Hit.”
Job opportunities:
- Senior Analyst (Community-based Equitable Transportation Planning project)
- Junior Analyst (Community-based Equitable Transportation Planning project)
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Othering & Belonging Institute
University of California, Berkeley
460 Stephens Hall
Tel: 510-642-3326
Berkeley, CA 94720
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