A Common Read invites participants to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. The UU Common Read can build community in our congregations and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations.

Sometimes, freedom is a long time coming. It may take generations upon generations for justice to be won. Our Unitarian ancestor Reverend Theodore Parker said, "I do not pretend to understand the moral universe: the arc is a long one...

Building the World We Dream About is a Unitarian Universalist program that seeks to interrupt the workings of racism and transform how people from different racial/ethnic groups understand and relate to one another.

One day in Alabama, in 1968, as farmers worked in their fields, a small airplane swooped into view. The farmers looked up wonderingly as papers fluttered out of the plane, into the sky and came swirling down to earth all around them. The papers were flyers about the upcoming elections—flyers with...

Building the World We Dream About for Young Adults offers a process by which young adults can engage in honest and open conversations about race.

When Joseph Jordan (pronounced Jerden) was born in Virginia in 1842, slavery was still legal. Most people of African descent were treated as property, like horses or dogs. They were bought and sold; they had no rights. Whether enslaved or free, people of color were not treated with respect....

Four decades have passed since controversy over ‘black empowerment’ nearly tore the Unitarian Universalist Association apart. Even now, UUs remain unreconciled over what was for many a life-defining fight.

Activity time: 35 minutes Materials for Activity Leader Resource 1, Video Segment -Davies Memorial Church, Camp Springs, Maryland Computer and digital projector Handout 3, Characteristics of Racially Integrated Unitarian Universalist Congregations Optional: DVD, "Breakthrough Congregations 2007"...

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Sticky notes in three different colors, 3x3 or larger, several of each color per participant Writing implements Preparation for Activity Title three sheets of newsprint Congregation, Association, and Society. On each...

Activity time: 30 minutes Materials for Activity Newsprint, markers, and tape Story, "The Black Humanist Fellowship" Timepiece (minutes) Preparation for Activity Read the story "The Black Humanist Fellowship." Copy for all participants....

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table and chalice Participant journals Writing materials, including paper, pens, pencils, color pencils, and markers Taking It Home handout Preparation for Activity Customize the Taking It Home section of this workshop and copy...

Materials for Activity Materials from your congregation’s archives Notebooks and writing materials Optional: Audio or video recording equipment Preparation for Activity Examine your congregation's archived documents and materials from the Civil Rights era, focusing on involvement with and...

Activity time: 10 minutes Materials for Activity Worship or centering table Chalice, candle, and lighter or LED battery-operated candle Timepiece (minutes) Chime or bell Copies of Singing the Living Tradition, the UUA hymnbook, for all participants Optional: Cloth for worship/centering table...

Downloading This Workshop You can download this workshop, save it on your computer, edit it, and print it. Download the entire workshop: Regular Version (Word) or Paper-Saving Version (Word)....

Activity time: 25 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 3, Southern Unitarian Universalists in the Civil Rights Era - Small Acts of Great Courage Preparation for Activity Read Handout 3 and copy it for all participants. Optional: If possible, distribute Handout 3 in advance of the workshop.

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity A copy of the story "The Reverend Albert D'Orlando Fought Racism in New Orleans" Newsprint, markers, and tape Preparation for Activity Read the story. Decide with your co-facilitator which of you will present it. Post blank newsprint....

Activity time: 20 minutes Materials for Activity Handout 1, The New Orleans Story Preparation for Activity Read Handout 1 and copy it for all participants....

Materials for Activity Materials from your congregation’s archives Optional: Audio or video recording equipment Preparation for Activity Examine your congregation's archived documents and materials from the Civil Rights era. Description of Activity Most congregations have stories about their...