Don't we love looking forward to summer vacation and all the books we will read? As a UU, perhaps you have heard of the UUA's “Common Read”.  The annual Common Read invites UUs across congregations to read and discuss the same book in a given period of time. By adopting the Common Read, we create a way to build community within our congregation and our movement by giving diverse people a shared experience, shared language, and a basis for deep, meaningful conversations.
As we place a banner on our lawn to bear witness to the Black Lives Matter movement, and as we work on other social justice and witness programs, Just Mercy, this year's UUA Common Read, is especially relevant for First U Wilmington. We hope you will buy a copy of the book, read it over the summer, and attend our book discussion led by Rev. Roberta on Sunday, Aug 28 after church.
We will ultimately not be judged by our technology, we won't be judged by our design, we won't be judged by our intellect and reason. Ultimately, you judge the character of a society . . . by how they treat the poor, the condemned, the incarcerated. – Bryan Stevenson
Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson (2014, Spiegel & Grau, an imprint of Random House) is available in paperback in our book corner or at most bookstores.  Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has dedicated his legal career to defending those who are trapped by an often capricious, political, and willfully unjust criminal justice system – poor people, people of color, children, and others over whom the system has run roughshod. It speaks to justice, mercy, and compassion, themes of concern to us as Unitarian Universalists and as human beings. It follows on recent Common Reads, such as The New Jim Crow and Reclaiming Prophetic Witness, and responds to recent statements passed by the delegates to the UUA General Assembly.

Questions? Email or call Suzanne Perry, Co-Chair, Member Engagement and Development and Member, Black Lives Matter Study Group