First Parish Stoughton typically participates in the UUA Common Read. This provides us an opportunity to learn together about an important topic. We generally collaborate with other UU Congregations from the 5 Points Cluster and other community groups in Stoughton interested in the issue.

For 2023, we have branched out on our own and have selected Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants as a Common Read for our community, rather than using the UUA’s selected book. Discussions are open to all.

The author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer, a botanist and member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, speculates that her book is resonating with people because: “When we’re looking at things we cherish falling apart, when inequities and injustices are so apparent, people are looking for another way that we can be living. We need interdependence rather than independence, and Indigenous knowledge has a message of valuing connection, especially to the humble.”

In-Person Discussions will be Sundays February 26, March 26. and April 23, Noon–1:00, upstairs at First Parish Stoughton.

Online Discussions will be a weekday evening, exact dates and times to be announced.

email SocialAction@FirstParishStoughton.org for more information

Past First Parish Stoughton Common Reads:

• 2022: Defund Fear: Safety without Policing, Prisons, and Punishment
• 2020: An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States