Empower Initiative

Check out the Spring leg of the Troubling the Water Tour in 2024! Would love to see you if you’re close by! Reach out to us on the site to explore getting your city on the Summer/Fall leg! #TTW @broadleaf_books @EmpowerYourOrg benmcbride.com/events

Order my new book #TroublingtheWater🌊 and let’s co-create building a world (organizations, communities, cities) we all can belong to! a.co/d/56HgpAW

Radical Belonging calls on us to bridge with the perceived other, but that should not be misunderstood that bridging across difference should disappear the voices of the marginalized.#TroublingtheWater🌊

Today marks 8 years since Michael Brown Jr. was shot and killed by a #Ferguson officer, sparking days of civil unrest in neighborhoods of Missouri. His untimely death created a movement—forcing the world to examine the value of Black lives and recognize the injustices.

We can all imagine a world where everyone belongs: safe, welcoming communities, inclusive workplaces. The question isn’t what we need to do to make that world a reality — it’s who we need to BECOME. Join @benmcbride as we explore this question on #AnInvitationtoBecome podcast

Meet The Team: Ryan hails from Oakland CA and comes from a background of admin support for organizations committed to the common good. Talented in the movement arts🕺🏽, he brings rhythm to ensuring our executive team is supported and empowered to bring leadership to our efforts!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Ashli is from Oakland & Atlanta, Georgia. A passionate advocate for equity in education📚 and storytelling, she brings her creative skills to support our belonging initiatives. Though often working in the background, she’s the glue to hold many parts together!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Octavian is from Seattle, Washington and is an aspiring filmmaker🎬 and storyteller. He brings these creative contributions to the efforts to produce e-learning and visual aids that bring equity to how we foster cultural and structural belonging!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Phillip is a from of Detroit, Michigan. An accomplished musician🎹and songwriter, Phillip thrives on being creative and finding solutions for problems that aren’t easily realized. He uses his talents to develop our experiences for clients interested in belonging!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Kiara is from The Town (aka Oakland) and comes from a background of social work and administration. As a passionate advocate for young people, she brings her energy and creativity to supporting our training offerings and learning labs! She’s a face you’ll meet!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Tim was born and raised in South Central LA! After surviving 22 years of incarceration, he leveraged that experiential knowledge🧠 to become a community organizer who enfranchised formerly incarcerated people, bringing them into the structural circle of concern!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Jeremy, a DIY wizard from San Diego CA who brings creative power👨🏽‍🎨 to our storytelling effort! He contributes as our Digital Media Manager and while often in the background, his creations empower visual experiences for learners in cultural/structural initiatives!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Jeremy is a minister by calling, deeply rooted from Senoia, Georgia! He works to develop faith leaders who widen the circle of human concern through leadership and community organizing. His work is central to our California initiative for creating belonging!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Olutola hails from Oakland Ca by way of Kwara State Nigeria🇳🇬! She brings a background of human resource and business admin leadership with a focus on centering equity! She leads the structural belonging team in our efforts to reduce violence in California!❤️‍🔥

Meet The Team: Gynelle was born and raised in Richmond, CA and serves as our Chief Operating Officer! She co-founded Empower in 2014 and brings experience and passion for the role restorative justice ✊🏾 plays in fostering belonging. When not training, she leads all operations!❤️‍🔥

Summer of Belonging: Word of the Day, MicroAgression. Learn, ask questions, & hold yourself accountable for bias. For more resources and information, visit FosteringBelonging.org @benmcbride

Summer of Belonging: Word of the Day, Saming. For more resources an information, visit our website: FosteringBelonging.org @benmcbride

Are you navigating the reality of blind spots in your DEl efforts for your organization? You're not alone! Effective online courses can be difficult to find, but they're always worth it in the end. Visit: our website, fosteringbelonging.org/request-consul… @benmcbride

Summer of Belonging: Word of the Day: Belonging. “We define belonging as the extent to which people feel appreciated, validated, accepted, and treated fairly within an environment.” For more resources, visit fosteringbelonging.org @benmcbride #summerofbelonging

Summer of Belonging: Word of the Day, Othering “I think humans are driven by othering people, by defining themselves by who they are not and who is different from them. Human beings in love with othering.” For more resources, visit our website: fosteringbelonging.org @benmcbride