Bush book club
What we’re reading and why
We’re so glad you’re here! The Bush book club is open to anyone in our region who is curious, loves to learn new things, heard about it through a friend or accidentally found us while looking up bean recipes. (We’re not that Bush®. We’re named after Archie.)
This summer, we asked our entire staff to read “The Power of Bridging: how to build a world where we all belong” by esteemed civil rights scholar, john a. powell, and edited and developed with the Othering & Belonging Institute’s Rachelle Galloway-Popotas. We invite you to join us.
We’re feeling not just the uncertainty of our times but also the long-growing divide between people, in our work and our personal lives. And like others, we’re looking for answers—or at least a lighted path to move us closer to one another.
We think john’s book might offer that inspiration. Some of us have read it, and the rest of us are eager to crack it open!
We don’t yet know what we’ll discover together. We think we’ll find very practical ways we can get better at making more room for more perspectives. At the very least, we opened a door to a possibility, and we’re staying curious about what we might learn that can help us do more good for everyone in the region.
How to get a free copy of the book
We’re offering free copies of the book to anyone in our grantmaking region—Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Native nations that share the same geography.
Our only ask is that you try something you learn in the book. There are reflections at the end of each chapter to try out. Pick 1 or 2 or as many as you want. Grab a book buddy and do them together. We just hope it inspires action!
Special shout out to our local partners, Black Garnet Books, for helping us fill all the Bush book club orders!
You are welcome to order 1 copy or 5 or a box full of them. Individuals, organizations or groups are welcome to put in their orders. We will continue to offer books as long as there is demand!
Directions for how to do that are on Black Garnet Book’s website. If you are local, you also can stop by the store to get your copy and pick up something else for your reading list!
Bush book club event with john a. powell
Mark your calendars for a special community event with john a. powell! Thanks to our friends at MPR News, we’ll be hosting john at the Fitzgerald Theater on Tuesday, December 2, 2025, and hope you can join us!
The event is free with registration (required) and open to the public. Learn more and register!
More ways to turn learning into action
The Bush book club voicemail is open! We’ve set up a voicemail box and invite anyone reading the book to drop us a message. We’d love to hear what you’re learning, trying out or inspired by. Just dial 651-379-2242 and leave a message. You can share your name, your organization — or just your message. Please note that we might use some messages in future communications.
The Othering & Belonging Institute has been doing the work of belonging and bridging since 2012. john a. powell is the director there, and the book was edited and developed with his colleague, Rachelle Galloway-Popotas.
They’ve shared their resources with us and all of you. These are great tools and guides for anyone who wants to put their learning into action—and connect with others!
And if you have an idea for how we might partner with others to spread more of this goodness, please drop us a note at staff@bushfoundation.org.