The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where We All Belong
Book Reviewed by Leon Beauchman
The Power of Bridging: How to Build a World Where Everyone Belongs was a featured book at this year’s Silicon Valley Reads. This event, held for over 20 years, brings people together through books and dialogue around a specific theme. Given the fragmentation that is all too visible in our society, a conversation about building bridges is long overdue.
The book is written by john a. powell (who prefers his name in lower case), a professor and the Director of the Othering and Belonging Institute (OBI) at the University of California, Berkeley. According to the OBI website, “it is a research institute that 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”.
Professor powell’s engaging book includes many personal stories that offer insight into a broader message about how we sometimes unconsciously “other” one another. He opens the book by sharing a story from his childhood. During a church service, he asked the minister why people who had never been exposed to Christianity, such as those living in China, would be damned to purgatory when they died. The question left his parents and the congregation a bit unsettled and john somewhat alienated. At an early age, he learned that independent thinking could lead to being “othered” and make it more difficult to belong.
The story served many purposes, allowing its African American author to build a broader framework for bridging. Our culture is fragmenting in many ways, such as race, class, nationality, sexual orientation, religion and political affiliation. This fragmentation is often defined by the stories we tell ourselves and each other.
john powell would use this broader framework to define terms such as breaking, othering, bridging, and belonging. He examines whether othering is a natural human instinct and, based on historical evidence, concludes that “there is no natural other or them.” He also concludes that there is no primary personal identity, since each of us is complex and determined by our individual situatedness. Therefore, we need stories that celebrate our intersectionality, encourage authentic self-expression, and promote openness to meaningful change.
The book cites many outstanding scholars and writers, giving readers access to important thinkers who have much to contribute to this conversation. The style is conversational and reasoned, avoiding the antagonism that is all too evident in today’s media.
The book’s concluding chapter, "Becoming a Bridger," offers eight ideas for developing a personal practice. For example, “move toward being.” This concept requires moving beyond interests and values and listening with an open heart rather than an analytical mind. Another simple and powerful idea is to “make others feel seen.” This can be understood as “the divine in me sees the divine in you.”
john powell infused his book with humanity and inspiration, providing us with a tool for reflection, dialogue and action.
Leon Beauchman has worked as an Associate Marriage and Family Therapist in local schools. He previously served for over 20 years as a school board trustee at the local and County levels, while serving as President of the Santa Clara County Alliance of Black Educators. Leon retired from AT&T after 25 years of service and is an ALF Senior Fellow (Class XX)
