Community Conversations: Reclaiming Democracy, Building Belonging

Community Conversations: Reclaiming Democracy, Building Belonging

OMCA’s Spotlight Sundays is excited to introduce “Community Conversations,”  a new series in partnership with The Othering & Belonging Institute (OBI). This new series of conversations will create a space to foster public dialogue and engagement around emerging community topics. 

The program’s first installment this January will explore the topic of Reclaiming Democracy, Building Belonging. The panel will include john a. powell, Director of OBI and Professor of Law, African American and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, Ernestine Nettles, President of the Oakland League of Women Voters, and Olivia Richardson Feldman who is the Co-Chair of the Oakland Youth Commission. The panel will be moderated by Ashley Gallegos who leads the Places of Belonging work at OBI and will feature open remarks from Congresswoman Lateefah Simon and former Congresswoman Barbara Lee. . 

This interactive experience will encourage audience participation and will be grounded by an opening performance by the Belonging Residency Company that will orient the space toward our shared humanity through the arts.

Get 15% off a signed copy of john e. powell’s book, The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong when you purchase a ticket to the event online. Limited supply. 

Presenters

john a.powell is Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute and Professor of Law, African American, and Ethnic Studies at the University of California, Berkeley. He was previously the Executive Director at the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity at the Ohio State University, and prior to that, the founder and director of the Institute for Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota. John formerly served as the National Legal Director of the American Civil  Liberties Union (ACLU). He is a co-founder of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council and serves on the boards of  several national and international organizations. john led the development of an “opportunity-based” model that connects affordable housing to education, health, healthcare, and employment and is well-known for his work developing the frameworks of “targeted universalism” and “othering and  belonging” to affect equity-based interventions. john has taught at numerous law schools including Harvard and Columbia  University. His latest books are Belonging Without Othering, How We Save Ourselves and the World, and The Power  of Bridging, How to Build a World where we all Belong. 

Ashley Gallegos leads the Places of Belonging work at the Othering and Belonging Institute. Her work focuses on advancing belonging in collaboration with people, groups, and institutions through a place-based approach with global connection. Ashley believes in the power of belonging and is inspired by its ability to invite people and places to build for the betterment of ourselves, our communities, and our shared world.

Ernestine Nettles is the first Black president of the League of Women Voters Oakland, and has been an active member of the Oakland League for the past 12 years and has served on the board of directors for 10 years. She has spent most of her professional life promoting and supporting small businesses. Her position as a Contract Compliance Officer for the City of Oakland has placed her at the forefront of small business advocacy. She is the first point of entry for a company that wants to get certified with the City of Oakland.  She works to help ensure businesses are prepared to receive Oakland’s promise of diversity, equity and inclusion. Her expertise has helped countless professionals and small businesses get a foothold in Oakland and prepared for opportunities throughout the business world. She gained this experience and became an advocate for small business while working for Golden State Business League and Sysco Foods. Additionally, while working as an Equal Employment Opportunities Officer and as a Chief Legislative Analyst for the City of Los Angeles Metropolitan Transportation Authority in addition to working to establish the Tom and Ethel Bradley Foundation, she obtained a deep passion for equity and inclusion. 

Olivia Richardson Feldman is currently a senior attending Lick-Wilmerding High School in San Francisco. As an Oakland native, she serves as Co-Chair of the Oakland Youth Commission alongside other Oakland youth to voice concerns to city government. Her leadership extends to activism in her founding of her school’s anti-hate speech campaign, Black Student Union presidency, and as Editor-in-Chief of her student newspaper. As a creator of the Civil Discourse circles in her high school, she aims to hold thoughtful conversations across differences to create a community where everyone is seen. In her free time, she enjoys writing poems and music as well as playing shortstop on the softball field.

Accessibility

Oakland Museum of California (OMCA) is committed to providing programs that are accessible, welcoming, and inclusive of our community. Wheelchairs, sensory inclusive devices, and additional amenities are available for checkout on a first come, first served basis at the Ticketing Desk. To request other accommodations, like American Sign Language (ASL), Cantonese, Spanish or another language interpreter, please email [email protected] at least three weeks before the event. Learn more about our accessibility options.