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**Who Belongs?**

Who Belongs? was launched in Fall 2018 as the Othering & Belonging Institute’s official podcast. The question of who belongs in our societies, whether local, national, or global, is one of the central drivers that underpin how people are othered, or how the conditions of belonging are created. Our podcast addresses this foundational question to open pathways to explore a range of policies, movements, scholarship, and narratives that get us closer to the goal we seek, which is to advance a society where all belong. For more information visit: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs/about

Latest Episodes:

EP 61 - Inside the Discord Servers Reshaping Masculinity Sep 15, 2026

Show notes

In this interview, Caroline Hayes, Senior Technical Specialist on Digital Strategies at Equimundo, describes how authoritarian actors exploit men and boys’ struggles such as loneliness, economic anxiety, and a sense of lost identity to advance anti-feminist and anti-democratic politics. She draws on Equimundo's research and the LinkUp Lab initiative to offer concrete strategies for reaching men and boys where they are online, and for building the kind of social connection that makes them less, not more, susceptible to those who would weaponize their grievances.

In this special subseries of Who Belongs? from the (En)Gendering Authoritarianism project, we speak with individuals and groups at the forefront of this work. Each interview offers an inside look at how they navigate the political and cultural terrain — what approaches they use, what they've learned, and what gives them optimism for continued action.

This series is hosted by Míriam Juan-Torres and Laura Livingston. Learn more about the (En)Gendering Authoritarianism project at: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/engendering-authoritarianism

EP 60 - Reclaiming Religious Freedom in an Authoritarian Moment Jun 24, 2026

Show notes

Around the world, communities and organizations are developing strategies to confront the weaponization of gender and build a future rooted in belonging and pluralistic democracy.

n this interview, Reverend Laura Randall and Heather Vickery of the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee describe their work with the Pink Haven Coalition — a network helping trans and gender expansive people relocate from legislatively hostile states to safer ones. Drawing on UUSC's origins aiding people from Nazi-occupied Europe, they reflect on mutual aid, faith-rooted resistance, and what sustainable coalition building actually requires.

This series is hosted by Míriam Juan-Torres and Laura Livingston.

Learn more about the (En)Gendering Authoritarianism project at: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/engendering-authoritarianism

Access the transcript here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-religious-freedom-in-authoritarianism

EP 59 - Marching for Pride and a Democratic Hungary Jun 17, 2026

Show notes

Around the world, communities and organizations are developing strategies to confront the weaponization of gender and build a future rooted in belonging and pluralistic democracy.

In this episode, we hear from Viktória Radványi, president of Budapest Pride. She reflects on how her organization defied a government ban to stage the largest anti-authoritarian mobilization in Hungary since 1989, drawing 350,000 people. She explains how decades of movement-building, internal trust, strategic coalition work, and communication rooted in Hungarian values turned a Pride march into a mass democratic resistance — and what civil society organizations facing similar authoritarian pressures can learn from it.

This series is hosted by Míriam Juan-Torres and Laura Livingston.

Learn more about the (En)Gendering Authoritarianism project at https://belonging.berkeley.edu/engendering-authoritarianism.

Access the transcript here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-marching-for-pride-hungary

Find out more at https://who-belongs.pinecast.co

EP 58 - Belonging Without Othering: A conversation with john a. powell and Stephen Menendian Nov 21, 2024

Show notes

In this episode of Who Belongs? we hear from OBI Director john a. powell and Assistant Director Stephen Menendian about the recently released book they co-authored, called Belonging without Othering: How We Save Ourselves and the World. The interview was conducted by Ivan Natividad, who is OBI's assistant director of communications. Learn more at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-belonging-without-othering

EP 57 - Land, Culture, and Belonging: Place-based Community Advocacy Aug 01, 2024

Show notes

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Land, Culture, and Belonging: Place-based Community Advocacy." It looks at the redevelopment of the Henry J. Kaiser Center in Oakland, which was the location of our conference. A private developer who was granted a long-term lease by the city to reopen the venue had negotiated a community benefits agreement with a coalition of local artists. And some of the artists and leaders involved in that process are among the panelists invited to discuss the issue and how it speaks to broader issues of land, culture and belonging. Panelists include Nikki Bas, who is the President of the Oakland City Council; Thomas Cavanagh from the group BANDALOOP; Cristy Johnston-Limón, who leads the City of Oakland’s business development activities; Ayodele Nzinga, who is an artist, actress, playwright, and poet; and Kev Choice, who is a pianist and community advocate. The session was moderated by Eli Moore, who directs OBI's Community Power and Policy Partnerships Program. Eli co-curated this session with OBI's Sarah Crowell. You can find more episodes from this podcast series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-land-culture-and-belonging-place-based-community-advocacy

EP 56 - Leaning into Paradox: How We Can Block, Bridge & Build Our Democratic Future Together Jul 12, 2024

Show notes

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Leaning into Paradox: How We Can Block, Bridge & Build Our Democratic Future Together." It includes two speakers from the Horizons Project who engage the audience on those three seemingly paradoxical approaches: how to come together to block the threats to our democratic values; the need to bridge across differences to foster broad-based movements, and to build together the future we want to see. Those speakers are Julia Roig, who is the Founder & Chief Network Weaver at the Horizons Project, and Jarvis Williams, who is the organization's Director for Race and Democracy. You can find more episodes from this podcast series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-leaning-paradox-how-we-can-block-bridge-build-our-democratic-future-together

EP 55 - Democracy in Crisis: The Courage to Re-Humanize One Another Jul 11, 2024

Show notes

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Democracy in Crisis: The Courage to Re-Humanize One Another." It focuses on a project called Bridging for Democracy (B4D), which is developing strategies for grassroots organizations working in different parts of the country to bridge across racial, ideological, and urban-rural divides and to strengthen democratic norms at a time of deep social fragmentation and dehumanization. The panelists include Bassem Kawar, who is the Political Director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; Lalo Montoya, the Civic Engagement Director with Make the Road Nevada; Ashley Dixon, who is the Rural Georgia Campaigns Lead Organizer at Southern Crossroads; and Ponsella Hardaway, who is the Executive Director of MOSES. The panel was moderated by Mansi Kathuria, who is the Field Strategy and Research Analyst at OBI. Mansi and OBI's Network for Transformative Change curated this session. You can find more episodes from this series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of this episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-democracy-crisis-courage-re-humanize-one-another

EP 54 - Using Data to Advance Belonging without Othering Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Using Data to Advance Belonging without Othering." It looks at a set of domains at the intersection of data and civil society, such as racialized policing and surveillance, housing and eviction, and belonging metrics. Panelists include Amy Lee, who is an organizing member of the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project; Matyos Kidane, who is a community organizer with the Stop LAPD Spying Coalition; and Shadrick Small, who is a researcher at OBI. It's moderated by Stephen Menendian, who is assistant director at OBI. The panel was curated by OBI's Equity Metrics team. You can find more episodes from this series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-using-data-advance-belonging-without-othering

EP 53 - Expressions of Belonging Jul 08, 2024

Show notes

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Expressions of Belonging," and it offers a mix of stories, insights, and diverse approaches to advancing belonging at an array of organizations at different scales and locations. It includes panelists David T. Hsu, who is a Director at Omidyar Network; Liz Baxter, who is the CEO of the North Sound ACH; Cary Simmons, who is the Director of Community Strategies at Trust for Public Land; and Judith Mowry, who is the interim Deputy Director for the Office of Equity and Human Rights in the City of Portland. The discussion was moderated by Ashley Gallegos, who is OBI's Belonging Coordinator. You can find more episodes from this series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-expressions-belonging

EP 52 - Xenophobia, Resistance, and the Future of the Immigrant Rights Movement Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Episode Note

This episode is part of a series of talks and panel discussions recorded during the breakout sessions of our Othering & Belonging Conference that took place in Oakland this past April. This session is titled "Xenophobia, Resistance, and the Future of the Immigrant Rights Movement." It includes panelists Annette Wong, who is the Managing Director of Programs at Chinese for Affirmative Action; Karim Golding, founder of the Law Library; Lawrence Benito, who is the executive director of the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights; and Carlos Perea, who is the Executive Director of the Harbor Institute for Immigrant and Economic Justice. It was moderated by Tracy La, the Executive Director of VietRISE. The panelists share lessons they learned from their years of organizing in the immigrant rights movement, the changing faces of xenophobia in the context of migration, and stories of local communities challenging traditional notions of representation and belonging by winning the right to vote for noncitizens. This session was curated by Tracy La, OBI's Rio Gonzalez, the OBI Network for Transformative Change. You can find more episodes from this series on our website at belonging.berkeley.edu/whobelongs.

For a transcript of the episode, please click here: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/podcast-xenophobia-resistance-and-future-immigrant-rights-movement

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