This UU Common Read invites us to ask ourselves, “Why is it important for UUs to Defund Fear?”
Once we find a leader, we can plan to gather for a deep dive into Zach Norris’s Defund Fear: Safety without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment (Beacon Press, 2021). While Zach Norris’s book is secular, the issues it confronts and the solutions he offers raise core theological questions for Unitarian Universalists. Groups can meet for one 90-minute session or adapt the discussion materials to go deeper together with multiple meetings.
Here’s a recorded conversation (Vimeo, 1:10:00), moderated by UU World executive editor, Roger Santodomingo, that engages author Zach Norris with UU religious professionals on ways the book resonates for UUs. The conversation calls us to respond individually and collectively with prophetic, faith-based participation in our shared public safety.
Contact Rev. Claudia Jiménez if you are interested in leading a single-session or 3-three-session discussion group for UU Asheville. Here’s the resource for doing that: This discussion guide, for any UU congregational group (Word, 59 pages), offers a single 90-minute session and a three-session option for online or in-person gatherings.
Get started now:
- Order Defund Fear from inSpirit: the UU Book and Gift Shop
- Visit the UU Common Read landing page for a keep-by-your-side guide to a faith-based read of Defund Fear
- Join the Justice and Spirit: Unitarian Universalist Book Club on Goodreads and find discussion links when they are ready