About the Forum
The Democracy & Belonging Forum aims to counter democratic degradation, reduce fragmentation and mistrust, and oppose authoritarian populism in Europe and the US by connecting and supporting leaders in both regions who are committed to bridging across lines of difference while advancing belonging, particularly for marginalized groups.
We aspire to build a world where everyone belongs. Belonging means more than just having access. It means having a meaningful voice and the opportunity to participate in the design of political, social, and cultural structures, including the right to make demands upon political institutions. While we aim to realize belonging for all, we are particularly concerned with groups that have been historically excluded in spaces of decision-making, including racial, ethnic, and religious minorities, people with disabilities, immigrants, and those who identify as LGBTQ.
But it’s hard to advance belonging when our democracies are straining under the weight of division and mistrust stoked by authoritarian populist actors and movements. We need functioning democracies in order to make appeals for human rights, implement structural reforms to protect minority groups, and ensure the right to make demands upon institutions, a core aspect of belonging. But democracies in Europe and the US today are straining under the weight of toxic polarization, high mistrust towards institutions, and out-group scapegoating—divisions that are now being exploited by anti-democratic leaders in both regions and around the world.
Our world needs courageous leaders willing to risk crossing lines of difference to build a larger “us”. Leaders play an outsized role in generating the stories that help us make sense of the world, including the world we envision. Will it be one of universal belonging, where all people play a role in co-creating our institutions, or one of mistrust, othering, and exclusion?
Let’s learn from each other. The Democracy & Belonging Forum brings together leaders from across sector areas in Europe and the US to co-create ways to build a larger “We.” Forum members recognize the urgent need to bridge with those who are different from ourselves—including those with whom we disagree—while remaining committed to centering the needs and concerns of marginalized peoples. Through in-person and online convenings, original research, story-sharing, funded joint experiments, and other activities, we will evolve our understanding of the concepts of othering, belonging, breaking and bridging as they apply to different regions, and share practices and strategies to counter polarization and democratic erosion—all while grappling with the reality of power, privilege, and positionality in our diverse social and cultural contexts. The Forum is open to leaders from across the political spectrum who share our belief in the dignity of all people and our commitment to the pursuit of belonging for everyone. Our goal is to jointly expand our capacity to counter authoritarianism, advance belonging for marginalized groups, and strengthen democracy in both regions and across the globe.
About OBI
The Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI) is a “think and do” tank based at the University of California, Berkeley. Under the leadership of Director john a. powell, OBI brings together researchers, organizers, stakeholders, communicators, and policymakers to identify and eliminate the barriers to an inclusive, just, and sustainable society. OBI’s landmark scholarship includes research on housing segregation, Islamophobia, climate justice, global food systems, and other key issues related to othering and belonging.
The work of the Othering & Belonging Institute is guided by its “Othering and Belonging” framework, which addresses the many expressions of prejudice against groups. The lens of othering and belonging allows for a better articulation of the forces that generate marginality and which reproduce or exacerbate inequality, as well as to identify the structures, systems, and institutions that inhibit or advance genuine belonging. Not merely analytic, this framework is designed to be operationalized in order to inform policy, shift public discourse, strengthen movements, and deliver a set of best practices for expanding belonging to all people and our living planet. Learn more about the othering and belonging frameworks on our FAQ page.
Our Team
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john a. powell
DIRECTOR, OTHERING & BELONGING INSTITUTE
john a. powell is an internationally recognized expert in the areas of civil rights, civil liberties, structural racism, housing, poverty, and democracy. john is the Director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, where he also holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor’s Chair in Equity and Inclusion and is a Professor of Law, African American Studies, and Ethnic Studies. john has written extensively on a number of issues including structural racism, racial justice, concentrated poverty, opportunity-based housing, voting rights, affirmative action in the US, South Africa and Brazil, racial and ethnic identity, spirituality and social justice, and the needs of citizens in a democratic society. john previously served as the National Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), where he was instrumental in developing educational adequacy theory. Learn more about john.
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Sara Grossman
DIRECTOR, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Sara Grossman is the Director of the Democracy & Belonging Forum, leading the implementation of OBI projects and priorities related to countering authoritarianism, reducing fragmentation, and advancing belonging in Europe and North America. She previously co-directed two Othering & Belonging Conferences, including a virtual conference in 2021 attended by more than 2,000 advocates, scholars, artists, and other changemakers, and an in-person gathering in Berlin in 2023, which constituted the first O&B Conference held outside the US. Before her leadership with the Forum, Sara worked with OBI’s Network for Transformative Change and Strategic Communications programs to develop and disseminate narrative projects and messaging strategies around economic inequality, inclusive identities, and the role of the public sphere, among other topics. She graduated from UC Berkeley with a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Economy in 2015 and from the University of Westminster (UK) with a Master’s in Media, Campaigning, and Social Change in 2020. She has lived in Berlin since 2016.
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Míriam Juan-Torres González
HEAD OF RESEARCH, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Míriam Juan-Torres is a multidisciplinary social scientist with expertise on polarization, authoritarian populism, conflicts, and human rights. She currently works as the Head of Research of the Democracy & Belonging Forum, Senior Advisor at More in Common, where she was the co-author of “Hidden Tribes: A Study of America’s Polarized Landscape” and the lead author of “Britain’s Choice: Common Ground and Division in 2020s Britain” and as associate professor at the Autonomous University of Barcelona where she teaches a course on human rights. She has also contributed as a consultant to a variety of projects across the globe. Míriam has fieldwork experience in Ghana and Colombia, where she worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and interned at the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. She holds a master in Global Affairs from Yale University and a law degree from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona. She has received several awards, including the Fox Fellowship from Yale University and the la Caixa Fellowship in Spain. Míriam is also yoga student and teacher, is fascinated by yoga philosophy and Buddhist teachings, and loves food and cooking.
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Evan Yoshimoto
HEAD OF COMMUNITY, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Evan Yoshimoto is the Head of Community of the Democracy & Belonging Forum, managing the Forum’s 350+ member general network and events across Europe and North America, working with network members to plan and implement ongoing member-led communities, and developing the Forum’s ecosystem catalyzation strategy. Prior to this position, Evan managed the Forum’s internal and external communications. He joined the Othering & Belonging Conference leadership team for the virtual conference in 2021 and an in-person conference in Berlin in 2023, which constituted the first O&B Conference held outside the US. He first joined the Othering & Belonging Institute in 2018 as a summer fellow, where he completed research on climate change-induced displacement and corporate influence over the global food system. Evan graduated from UC Berkeley with two Bachelor’s degrees in Environmental Economics & Policy and Conservation & Resources Studies: Capitalism and the Environment and from the Hertie School in Berlin with a Master’s Degree in Public Policy.
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Lara Habboub
COMMUNICATIONS ASSISTANT, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Lara supports all the communications of the Democracy & Belonging Forum, promoting the Forum’s research and initiatives across digital platforms. She graduated from Bard College Berlin in 2024 with a dual Bachelor’s in Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought, majoring in Ethics and Politics with a minor in Civic Engagement. Lara brings a background in Theater of the Oppressed, shadow puppetry, storytelling, and creative writing. Her current focus is on the epistemology and politics of knowledge, particularly in relation to the digital world and bridging work.
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Sarah Crowell
FACILITATOR, OTHERING & BELONGING INSTITUTE
Sarah Crowell serves as OBI's Belonging and Community Builder. She is a dancer and choreographer who has taught dance, theater, mindfulness and violence prevention for over 35 years. She recently left her position as the Artistic Director at Destiny Arts Center in Oakland where she served in different capacities including Executive Director for 30 years. She founded and co-directed the Destiny Arts Youth Performance Company, which was the subject of two documentary films, and won the National Arts & Humanities Youth Program Award. Sarah has facilitated arts integration, violence prevention, cultural humility and team building professional development sessions with artists and educators since 2000, both locally and nationally. She is the recipient of many awards including the KPFA Peace award, the KQED Women’s History Local Hero award, and the National Guild for Community Arts Education Milestone award. She is a four-time finalist for a Tony Award for Excellence in Theater Education.
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Vanessa Faloye
LEARNING DESIGNER & FACILITATOR, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Vanessa Faloye joins the Democracy & Belonging Forum as a learning designer and facilitator of its anti-oppression and bridging communities of practice. In her role, Vanessa commits to resourcing people with what they need to dismantle cultures of oppression, supremacy, and dehumanization. She takes aim at the colonial project of divide and conquer by supporting social movements to unite across difference, in service of a greater we. Vanessa is a co-founder of Held and alongside her co-founding friends, Priya and Alexander, works with the Forum and other organizations in creating the conditions for collective liberation. In her own lifelong learning, she is a keen apprentice in the life-affirming disciplines of Emergent Strategy, Sovereign Leadership, and Unconditional Positive Regard. Things to know about Vanessa is that she is a British-Nigerian living in London with her partner and two cats. She’s a fluent speaker of Spanish, a part-time dj of world music, and a full-time lover of Bollywood and Middle Eastern cinema. Her favourite takeaway is Chinese and generally speaking, she eats way too much rice. Vanessa very much looks forward to OBI being and becoming a political home to which she vibrantly belongs.
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Priya Ghai
LEARNING DESIGNER & FACILITATOR, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Envisioning new processes of liberation and ways of being with each other is at the core of what ignites Priya. Throughout her career, she has created spaces where possibility can exist, humanity is centered and differences unite. As a lecturer of design thinking, experiential learning designer, leadership consultant, and a seasoned anti-oppression facilitator, she blends those disciplines together to enable communities to build the world they want to be a part of, together. By inspiring collective power and action to dismantle the dehumanizing and divisive narratives, tools, and conditions that systems of oppression create. She roots her anti-oppression practice in deep care and responsibility for all people towards a world in which everyone’s liberation is necessary for our own. Priya is a co-founder of Held a partnership between herself, Alexander and Vanessa that works with the Forum and other movements and organizations in pursuit of collective liberation.
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Alexander Lyons
LEARNING DESIGNER & FACILITATOR, DEMOCRACY & BELONGING FORUM
Alexander Lyons is a facilitator, consultant, and coach focused on supporting people to get clear on, and take responsibility for, their relationships, and their role in the world. Along with Vanessa Faloye and Priya Ghai he is co-founder of Held—supporting people, movements and organizations in building relational skills and cultural practices rooted in collective liberation. He has worked as an anti-oppression learning designer and facilitator, integrating the practices of conflict transformation to equip people for more humane, relational approaches to justice and change. He has a background as an organizational culture consultant cohering diverse groups around shared purpose and values, communications strategist for social changemakers and spiritual leaders, and a speaker coach and event host. He is also a Trustee at Rainbow Migration supporting LGBTQI+ folks through the immigration and asylum system, and draws on science fiction as the playground for imagining radical new ways of being and living together.
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Bayo Akomolafe
GLOBAL SENIOR FELLOW, OTHERING & BELONGING INSTITUTE
Bayo Akomolafe (Ph.D.), rooted with the Yoruba people in a more-than-human world, is the father to Alethea and Kyah, the grateful life-partner to Ije, son and brother. A widely celebrated international speaker, posthumanist thinker, poet, teacher, public intellectual, essayist, and author of two books, These Wilds Beyond our Fences: Letters to My Daughter on Humanity’s Search for Home (North Atlantic Books) and We Will Tell our Own Story: The Lions of Africa Speak, Bayo Akomolafe is the Founder of The Emergence Network and host of the online postactivist course, ‘We Will Dance with Mountains’. He currently lectures at Pacifica Graduate Institute, California and University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont. He sits on the Board of many organizations including Science and Non-Duality (US) and Local Futures (Australia). In July 2022, Dr. Akomolafe was appointed the inaugural Global Senior Fellow of University of California’s (Berkeley) Othering and Belonging Institute, where he acts as the Forum’s “provocateur in residence”, guiding Forum members in rethinking and reimagining our collective work towards justice in ways that reject binary thinking and easy answers. He has also been appointed Senior Fellow for The New Institute in Hamburg, Germany.
