Dear Friends of FAIR,
On Tuesday, Americans head to the polls for the midterm elections. For many of us, the weeks before Election Day bring a sense of exhaustion and a familiar strain. Yard signs go up, group chats get tense, and a family dinner can start to feel like a debate stage. Under that pressure, even thoughtful people can forget that the neighbor with the opposing sign is still a neighbor.
At FAIR, we believe the health of our democracy depends less on the outcome of any single election than on how citizens treat one another before, during, and after the votes are counted. Elections can and should demonstrate how a free people settle disagreements peacefully. They work only when we grant our fellow citizens the same right to their convictions that we claim for ourselves. FAIR does not endorse candidates or parties, but we do take a side on one principle: the way we disagree matters.
As Election Day approaches, we invite every member of the FAIR community to rise above the temperature of the moment. A few commitments can go a long way:
Assume good faith. Most people who vote differently from you want many of the same things: safe schools and communities, equal rights and treatment, and opportunity for their children. They simply weigh those goods differently.
Listen to understand. Ask a question before making a point. “What matters most to you about this issue?” opens more doors than “How could you possibly believe that?”
Argue with ideas, not identities. Challenge a policy on its merits, and leave a person’s race, religion, or background out of it.
Lower the volume online. Before you post or share, ask whether it informs or only inflames.
Remember November 4. Whatever the results, we all wake up the next morning sharing the same towns, workplaces, and families.
None of these habits comes naturally. Respectful disagreement must be learned and practiced, which is why civil discourse sits at the heart of Many Stories, One Nation, FAIR’s high school ethnic studies curriculum. Every unit includes lessons where students apply the skills they’ve learned to questions on which thoughtful people genuinely disagree.
Along the way, students build a practical toolkit. They learn to steel-man, stating the strongest version of a view they don’t hold rather than knocking down a caricature, and to star-man, looking for the best intentions behind someone else’s position. Through lessons like the historical Periwig Controversy, they also discover that most public disputes are not right versus wrong but legitimate values in tension: liberty and security, tradition and change.
Ultimately, young people learn how to disagree with one another by watching the adults around them. Right now, they are watching viral takedowns and comment sections where contempt passes for argument. A diverse democracy cannot function if citizens see opponents as enemies. Equipping students to listen carefully, reason honestly, and disagree with dignity is civic preparation as essential as learning how a bill becomes law.
Many of today’s high school students will cast their first ballots in 2028. The question is whether they arrive at the polls having seen only the worst of public life, or whether someone has shown them a better way.
In the days ahead, model the conversation you hope to see. Vote, encourage others to vote, and then extend grace to those who vote differently. If you know a teacher, administrator, school board member, or homeschooling family who cares about these skills, please introduce them to Many Stories, One Nation or reach out to our curriculum team for more information.
Whatever happens on November 3, the work of building a nation where every person is treated fairly continues on November 4. We are grateful to walk that road with you.
With appreciation,
Monica Harris
Executive Director, FAIR
Subscribe now to receive FAIR News weekly in your inbox.
Educators Alliance
FAIR is continuing the Educators Alliance for the 2026-2027 school year to equip PK–12 educators with the knowledge, strategies, and community support they need to foster schools that are more enriching and free from bias for students and educators.
We are at a turning point for education—and with the relaunch of FAIR’s Educators Alliance, we have an opportunity to step beyond polarization and create classrooms rooted in curiosity, dignity, and respect.
Each monthly gathering will open with updates and presentations from FAIR staff, fellows, Chapter Leaders, and occasional guest speakers. Together, we’ll explore strategies for supporting educators, communities, and local chapters—and for advancing positive change at the local, regional, and national levels. Following presentations, participants will have space for open forum discussions to connect, seek advice, and coordinate on pressing issues in their schools. Breakout rooms will be divided into PK-6 and 7-12 grade levels with experienced teachers facilitating those conversations.
Educators will also be invited to contribute to a new FAIR in Education newsletter, showcasing stories, strategies, and resources from across the FAIR network.
Whether you are a teacher, paraprofessional, or administrator, join us as we continue the FAIR Educators Alliance and shape the future of education together.
There are 7 meetings to sign up for down below. Scroll up and down below to see all of the sessions!
Nov 5, 2026 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Every month on the First Thu, until Apr 1, 2027, 1 hr sessions, 7 occurrences
FAIR in Film presents: An Exclusive Screening of Generation Covid
An entire generation of children and families were deeply harmed by the response to Covid, resulting in half of American public schools being closed for nearly two years. The fallout has been a society-destroying scandal that our elected officials are still too afraid to address. Long past the time when adults resumed normalcy, American school children were onerously restricted, locked out of school and other social and developmental activities, kept alone and isolated and forced onto screens – all in spite of clear data showing Covid posed little threat to the young and healthy.
Generation Covid is the story of a forgotten generation who endured the biggest civil rights violations in a century, the largest propaganda campaign in American history and industrial scale censorship in spite of clear, incontrovertible evidence that lockdowns, school closures, vaccine mandates and forced masking were useless and harmful. Politicians and public health officials’ worst authoritarian impulses took hold and the press failed to hold power to account, leaving children voiceless.
Despite clear and incontrovertible real-time evidence of the harms being done, especially to the poor and working class, powerful forces sought to censor, silence and vilify anyone who questioned the efficacy of these unprecedented and unscientific decisions, and our children are still paying the price.
We all are.
Date: Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Time: 7pm EST/4pm PST (until about 10:00pm EST)
Film: ~120 minute run time + 30 minute discussion
Introducing: Arts After Hours
FAIR in the Arts is launching Arts After Hours, a monthly Zoom gathering for FAIR artists, members, and guests to meet one another, exchange ideas, share opportunities, and strengthen the courageous creative community we are building together.
This isn’t a webinar or a formal presentation. It’s a gathering.
Come tell us what you’re working on. Bring an idea you’d like to explore, an opportunity you’d like to share, a question or project for other artists, or simply come to meet writers, actors, filmmakers, musicians, visual artists, and other creative people who believe that art flourishes through curiosity, independence, open inquiry, and the courage to create authentically.
We’ll gather thereafter on the third Wednesday of every month.
FAIR in the Arts is becoming more than a place to defend artistic freedom. We want it to be a place where artists can use that freedom to create, connect, collaborate, and help shape the culture around us. I really hope you’ll join us.
Date: Wednesday, November 18, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET / 4:00 p.m. PT.
Every month on the third Wednesday.
Note: Despite Zoom’s notice down below, FAIR maintains strict confidentiality of contact information provided.
Note to readers: We have paused the FAIR News podcast. If you prefer listening rather than reading these newsletters, an audio version is available directly on the Substack app. Thank you for tuning in!