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The Black Studies Collaboratory at UC Berkeley is pleased to announce that Zachary Norris will take part in the Abolition Democracy Fellows Program as the first Activist-in-Residence. In Fall 2021, Norris will join a group of scholars, students, artists and activists in a…

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Ashley Chambers, Ella Baker Centerashley@ellabakercenter.org510-285-8227 OAKLAND—The Open Society Foundations announced today that Ella Baker Center Executive Director Zach Norris is one of the recipients of the Soros Equality Fellowship. Through the fellowship, the Open Society “aims to provide a…

Zach explains why he renamed the book and talks about why we must defund policing, punishment and prisons.

Real safety happens when we bridge the divides and build relationships with each other, overcoming suspicion and distrust.

Talking to author and activist Edgar Villaneuva about “budgets as moral documents” – where we spend money reflects our real commitment to our values – as well as the role of representation in ensuring safety.

Right now we’ve got a country that’s discouraging or outright preventing people from voting and other forms of civic engagement. Real democracy expands access to power, choice, and decision-making for everyone.

To achieve true safety, especially for the most vulnerable, the Biden Administration must shift from systemic deprivation to investing resources in communities.

“The situation is so different than when Biden was last anywhere near the White House…. we need Biden to come out of the gate as leader on climate change, here and now…”

The 45th President, for all the damage he has done, is not the sole source of America’s insecurity and suffering. A look at the unvarnished history of this country reveals that the legacy of our lack of safety goes back centuries, since the…

Watch my conversation with Danielle Sered, author and executive director of Common Justice, about what safety means and how we achieve it.

A suspicious society makes us all spies and suspects; all catchers and the caught. Whether the relationship is between neighbor and neighbor, parent and child, teacher and student, or elected official and constituent— relationships are what keep us safe.

Yesterday we saw the consequences of years of Trump fanning the flames of fear and distrust, and urging his followers to act on these impulses.

To achieve true safety, especially for the most vulnerable, the Biden Administration must defund punishment and instead fund accountability.

When Joe Biden is sworn in as President, it will not be true to say that the guardrails of democracy held. It would be truer to say that the underlying fissures in our frail democracy were widely exposed.

We all changed during 2020. So did the title of my book. When my book went to press at the end of 2019—presenting a new vision for safety for America, one based in care rather than fear—I was responding to 2019 levels of…