The Power of Bridging: A book event with john a. powell

john a. powell discusses his new book, The Power of Bridging, followed by a conversation with Juliana Tafur


As the director of UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute, john a. powell has been one of the world’s leading advocates for bridging differences and creating a world in which all people feel like they truly belong. His trail-blazing ideas have influenced countless educators, activists, policy makers, and other leaders worldwide.

In his new book, The Power of Bridging, co-authored with Rachelle Galloway-Popotas, powell guides readers through his influential and timely vision, explaining why and how to bridge differences in order to build cohesion across groups, including those that hold diverging beliefs. “Bridging is a salve for our fractured world,” he writes. “We can overcome the illusion of separateness by honoring our differences, transcending the notion that differences divide us, and instead cocreate a world where everyone belongs.”

On the evening of March 5, the Greater Good Science Center at UC Berkeley (GGSC) will host powell to discuss his book and his philosophy of bridging-for-belonging. After his talk, he will be joined by Juliana Tafur, the director of the GGSC’s Bridging Differences program, for a conversation about his vision and its implications for our world today--on college campuses, in politics, and beyond.

Their conversations will be followed by Q&A with the audience. The entire evening’s program will explore the challenges to bridging work, particularly in the current moment, and constructive strategies for building communities centered on justice, inclusion, and belonging. 

This event will not be streamed live, but recorded highlights will be posted on the Greater Good and the Othering and Belonging Institute websites afterward.

This event is presented in partnership with the Othering & Belonging Institute and CUE Management Solutions, LLC.

  • john a. powell, JD

    john a. powell is an internationally respected expert in the areas of civil rights, racial identity, fair housing, poverty, and democracy. He is director of the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, where he holds the Robert D. Haas Chancellor's Chair in Equity and Inclusion, and is a professor of law, African American studies, and ethnic studies. He is the author of Racing to Justice, co-author (with Stephen Menendian) of Belonging Without Othering, and co-founder of the Poverty & Race Research Action Council. For more, visit johnapowell.org.

  • Head shot of Juliana Tafur

    Juliana Tafur

    Juliana Tafur is the director of the Greater Good Science Center’s Bridging Differences program, on a mission to bridge political and cultural divides using resources rooted in science. Juliana oversees initiatives that help to strengthen social cohesion, in communities and institutions, and creates resources that blend science and storytelling. A 2021–2022 Obama Foundation Scholar at Columbia University, she draws on extensive research and practice on the science of human connection. As seen in her TEDx talk, she’s a Colombian-American who has spent more than a decade creating spaces–through TV/film, workshops, and mediated dialogue–to bridge differences of race/culture, politics, socioeconomic status, and more.

Ticket Costs:

General Admission: $10.00 (Includes admission to the event)

Student/Senior General Admission: $5.00 (Includes admission to the event)

Bundle: General Admission & Book $28.00 (Includes admission to the event and 1 copy of The Power of Bridging)

Student/Senior Bundle: General Admission & Book: $23.00 (Includes admission to the event and 1 copy of The Power of Bridging)

We invite you to submit questions for the speakers via the registration site for the audience Q&A.

Event questions? Accessibility requests? Contact Greater Good Science Center at greater@berkeley.edu. For registration questions, email CUE Management Solutions, LLC at newell@sonic.net. Please note: all ticket sales and pre-sale book orders are final and non-refundable.