The Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley studies how to protect democracy from authoritarian leaders like Donald Trump, Jair Bolsonaro, and Narendra Modi. They believe democracy is key to belonging - meaning everyone has the right to not just be included in society, but to make demands and change how things work. Voting is a basic way people can change their government.
The institute runs the Democracy & Belonging Forum, which connects civic leaders in Europe and the US who want to strengthen democracy by bringing different groups together and fighting against divisive politics. They also have a research group of 15 UC Berkeley professors studying how democracy can work better in diverse communities. The institute partners with community groups to help underrepresented communities participate more in politics.
They create research, hold meetings, fund experiments, and share stories to help people understand concepts like 'othering' (excluding people) and 'belonging' (including everyone). Their goal is to counter polarization and protect democracy while making sure marginalized groups' needs are still centered. They offer resources, courses, and tools to help people learn about these important issues.