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MPR News with Angela Davis
Catharine Richert and Kelly Gordon
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Author and activist john a. powell on 'The Power of Bridging'

Scholar and author john a. powell returned to Minnesota on Dec. 2 to talk about his new book, “The Power of Bridging.” In a deeply divided world, what can be done to create a sense of belonging for everyone?

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Is it possible to build relational bridges, even in contentious times?

Scholar and activist john a. powell says yes. He’s dedicated his life to teaching others how to belong and bridge. As the director of the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley and the founder of the Institute on Race and Poverty at the University of Minnesota, powell — who spells his name in lowercase, to signify that “we are part of the universe, not over it” — studies equity and connection.

His new book, “The Power of Bridging,” is his thesis that connecting with others and honoring their humanity is the only way to create a world where we all belong.

john a. powell on 'The Power of Bridging'
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A man and woman sit in chairs on a stage, speaking into microphones.
Scholar and author john a. powell, left, speaks about his new book, "The Power of Bridging," with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert.
Tom Campbell | MPR
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A man and woman sit in chairs on a stage, speaking into microphones.
Scholar and author john a. powell, left, speaks about his new book, "The Power of Bridging," with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert at a sold-out Fitzgerald Theater on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
Tom Campbell | MPR
2 of 4
A man and woman sit in chairs on a stage, speaking into microphones.
Scholar and author john a. powell speaks about his new book, "The Power of Bridging," with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert at a sold-out Fitzgerald Theater on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025.
Tom Campbell | MPR

powell came back to Minnesota on a cold night in early December, at the invitation of The Bush Foundation and MPR, to talk with MPR News reporter and host Catharine Richert about how to do the work of bridging, even at this divisive moment in history. He shared stories from his own life, talked about how to bridge (or not) with folks who don’t want to bridge and discussed how the work of bridging and belonging is as much internal as external.

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