Suggested Donation $25 USD
March 22, 2025 · 10:00 – 11:30am PDT
Building Bridges in a Fractured World
A Community Gathering with john a. powell
“Bridging is about the emerging story of moving toward us and us, not us versus them.”
At a time when our world can feel increasingly divided, and many are retreating into isolation, civil rights scholar john a. powell offers a transformative approach to building connections across differences. Drawing from his groundbreaking work with the Othering & Belonging Institute and his own journey, john shows how to stop perceiving differences as threats and instead use them as opportunities for deeper understanding and collective growth. Through rich personal stories and documented study, he explains how bridging practices can help us heal ruptures in our families, workplaces, and communities.
This conversation explores practical ways to overcome the ‘us versus them’ mindset that dominates our current discourse and create a world where everyone truly belongs. Whether we’re struggling with political divides, generational gaps, or cultural differences, powell’s insights offer concrete tools for building meaningful connections in an age of separation.
Find the time in your time zone
Bring your questions!
Presenters
john a. powell
john a. powell is a renowned scholar and advocate in civil rights, structural racism, constitutional law, housing, and belonging. As Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, he holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion and is a Professor of Law, Ethnic Studies, and African American Studies.
Throughout his distinguished career, powell has been at the forefront of social justice work. He previously served as Executive Director of the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at Ohio State University and was the National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union. He is well-known for developing innovative frameworks like targeted universalism and opportunity-based models that connect affordable housing to education, health, and employment.
Internationally recognized, powell has worked as a consultant to governments in Mozambique and South Africa and has taught at prestigious law schools including Harvard and Columbia. A prolific public speaker, he’s engaged in high-profile conversations with figures like Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Isabel Wilkerson, John Legend and appeared on NPR, CBS Evening News, and Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, discussing critical issues of social justice, housing, and democracy.