10/19/2026
Neighborhood Wellness Foundation is HONORED to share that our abstract, "From Othering to Belonging," was ACCEPTED, and our team presented our ROOTS to RISE poster at the 2026 Othering & Belonging Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, October 8–10. ***
The conference is hosted by the Othering & Belonging Institute at UC Berkeley, led by civil rights scholar john a. powell. It was created to confront the forces that divide us and to build a society where EVERYONE belongs. It brings together community organizers, public health and behavioral health leaders, researchers, artists, faith leaders, funders, educators, policymakers, and those with lived experience.
The words from those who stopped at our poster said it all:
"Please bring NW to Louisville."
"Bring this across the country."
As john a. powell writes in The Power of Bridging, BRIDGING IS THE WORK OF BELONGING. Othering says, "You are not one of us." Bridging says, "There is room for you here." From Del Paso Heights to the streets of Louisville, our unhoused neighbors remind us that this work never stops, and neither do we.
Our time in Louisville was like NO OTHER. We walked the Black History Tour along the Ohio River, stood at the benches bearing the Names of Enslaved Kentuckians, and spent time at the Roots 101 African American Museum and the Muhammad Ali Center.
We came home more committed than ever to STOP OTHERING and keep BRIDGING BELONGING.
To the TREEHOUSE FAMILY FOUNDATION, thank you for encouraging us to apply and for supporting our attendance once we were accepted.
To HONEY, thank you for CO-CREATING with us. Just as you helped brand NW, you captured the heart of our work and put our truth on that poster.