Stories of Belonging in Real Life
Over Zero works to build resilient communities across the United States that are able to counter the isolating, fracturing, and polarizing effects of political and identity-based violence. Core to resilient communities is feeling belonging, especially across lines of difference.
Needing to belong is universal. When we belong, we sustain ourselves and give our communities the strength to endure conflict and challenges. Building a world where everyone feels safe, free, and loved is not a fantasy. It's something we believe is possible when we build a world where everyone belongs.
The Stories of Belonging in Real Life series was created in the hope that these stories will help us to better understand what belonging looks and feels like. Everyone can find belonging, but we don't all know what it looks like or where to look. These stories are an offering — both a reminder and a call to action— so that you'll recall times when you’ve felt belonging and times when you’ve felt apart or rejected. And maybe, when you have an opportunity to act with kindness and compassion, or to create belonging for others, you will.
The key takeaways and stories we share in this series have been distilled from an analysis of over 12,000 survey responses collected from a nationally representative sample of 6,000 Americans. Note that quotes have been lightly edited for clarity and conciseness. For more information on how we collected these stories, see the methodology.
