Dec. 15, 2021
Identity politics infighting distracts from the real battle
OBI faculty scholar Ian Haney Lopez recently published a long, in-depth essay about how he sees the social and political situation in the United States today. It revisits how the right decades ago adopted racism as a political strategy, and how today the left is failing to effectively respond, largely because of an internal tug-of-war over the role of identity politics. Meanwhile democracy itself hangs in the balance. But there is a solution, Haney Lopez shows us. Read this critical piece here.
Government action kept 200,000 people out of poverty
This new report from our Bay Area partner Tipping Point Community shows that government benefits and nonprofit groups prevented an increase in poverty following the economic downturn brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic last year. According to the report, about 200,000 people were kept from falling below the poverty line in the Bay Area as a result of these actions. The poverty rate remained steady at about 20 percent of the population.
The report was co-produced by OBI faculty scholar Irene Bloemraad and Harvard Public Policy scholar Daniel Schneider. Read the report here, the press release here, and local media coverage here.
![]() #PandemicTruths In our last newsletter we challenged you to share your Covid-19 stories in a format of your choosing, with the goal of uplifting stories of care and well-being. Here are some of the submissions:
If you'd like to contribute to this project pick one of the questions in this blog, or another angle on your experience, and speak your truth. You can get in touch with us at belonging@berkeley.edu or on social media using the hashtag #PandemicTruths.
Watch Gerald Lenoir read his new poem, A Love Supreme.
Video: Inside the Fight for Reproductive Justice
Last week we held a livestream event as part of our #RiseUp4Justice series featuring leaders on the front lines of legal advocacy, political strategy and grassroots organizing who are mobilizing to defend attacks on reproductive rights. Watch a recording of the event here, and check out coverage in DailyCal here.
Apply to our Summer Fellowship program!
The Othering & Belonging Institute Summer Fellowship is a paid research experience for individuals seeking to develop their research skills by engaging with the Institute’s multidisciplinary research, analysis, policy, and strategic narrative work. The purpose of the fellowship is to build the capacity and network of the next generation of researchers and community leaders who are committed to social and racial justice by providing mentorship and hands-on experience with social science research. Check our summer fellowship page for information on eligibility and the process to apply.
Application deadline: Jan. 14, 2022
Listen to our latest Bridging to Belonging podcast episodes! Check out some of our new podcast episodes released as part of our Bridging to Belonging Case series launched in October. In this sixth episode of a dozen podcasts associated with this series, Roberto Bedoya, who is the Cultural Affairs Manager for the City of Oakland in California, talks about how he developed the City’s Cultural Plan. Called "Belonging in Oakland," the plan encourages city departments to rethink how Oakland residents interact with each other and with physical spaces around the city. In the seventh episode of the series, we hear from Ashlin Malouf-Gashaw, who is the Chief Formation Officer at PICO California, about the intention and design behind the Belong Circles, and how anyone, including our listeners, can implement them in their own community.
Check out more episodes and other work from our Bridging to Belonging case series.
California renews use of affordable housing site maps
For the fifth consecutive year, a California state agency has approved the use of an opportunity map developed by our institute and partners designed to guide the siting of affordable housing using a federal tax credit. The 2022 TCAC/HCD California Opportunity Map provides guidance to the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee, which administers housing funds through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program, on where to direct resources for the construction of low-income housing. Read our announcement here.
john powell discusses challenges of housing equity
As part of a Dec. 9 panel focused on fair housing for Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing, Director john powell presented research and insights on the challenges of housing equity, reflecting years of accumulated experience navigating this tricky issue. Watch his remarks here.
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We're hiring Graduate Student Researchers
We've just opened up these four exciting positions for Berkeley graduate students:
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