Belonging featuring Dr. john a. powell was a collaborative event hosted by Northern Illinois University and the City of DeKalb that brought community members together for a candid conversation about belonging and action needed to create a culture of belonging in our community. 

The City of DeKalb and NIU are committed to creating a culture of belonging through connection and inclusion. As our community reacts to the tragic occurrences of social injustice and seeks new solutions, this effort could not be more critical.  

Everyone who lives, works or studies in the DeKalb community and on the NIU campus was encouraged to attend. Below is a recording of the event.

• Why Dr. powell?
  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. The institute brings together scholars, community advocates, communicators and policymakers to identify and eliminate barriers to an inclusive, just and sustainable society and to create transformative change toward a more equitable world. He spells his name in lowercase in the belief that we should be "part of the universe, not over it, as capitals signify." 
   
• What is belonging?
  “We believe that the only viable solution to the problem of othering is one involving inclusion and belongingness. The most important good we distribute to each other in society is membership. The right to belong is prior to all other distributive decisions since it is members who make those decisions. Belongingness entails an unwavering commitment to not simply tolerating and respecting difference but to ensuring that all people are welcome and feel that they belong in the society.”  Dr. john powell and Stephen Menendian
   
• Why should you attend?
  We hope this event will help advance existing efforts and engage additional community stakeholders, create bridges to greater understanding and encourage action to promote belonging in our community.

Please take a few minutes to provide us with feedback about the event by taking this survey.