FAIR News: FAIR Transparency Drives Change at Brown University
FAIR News: FAIR Transparency Drives Change at Brown University
Newsletter
Brown University Changes its Discriminatory Teacher Training Admissions Policy
FAIR is proud to report that Brown University will no longer be restricting admissions to its Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher training programs based on skin color or immutable characteristics.
The change comes after FAIR sent a letter to Brown University President Christina Hull Paxson in response to a FAIRtransparency incident report detailing the university’s plans to offer these segregated programs.
The letter was covered in a recent New York Post story, which quotes Dr. Eric B. Loucks, director of Brown University’s Mindfulness Center, as saying “Upon further review of our early promotional materials for the program, we realigned them to reflect the program’s inclusive nature, while still meeting the goal of addressing the needs, life experiences, and priorities of marginalized communities.”
FAIR is dedicated to advancing civil rights and liberties for all Americans, and promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
If you’d like to report an incident at your school or organization, reach out to us at FAIRtransparency.org. Our legal team is ready to support you and follow up on all submissions.
FAIR Sends Letter to LAUSD for Political Partisanship
On June 14th, FAIR's legal team sent a letter to the Los Angeles Unified School District in response to a recent FAIR Transparency report regarding politically partisan emails. According to the report, the district sends emails to all parents with LAUSD enrolled kids for the Career Technical Education program. Clicking the link in the email leads the parents to a “magic link” to fill in their email address, and subsequently emails them a link to canvassing and door knocking opportunities for LA Democratic candidates.
“In investigating further,” the letter states, “FAIR was able to confirm that the ‘magic link’ does indeed direct the user to Democratic candidates and other causes in their current local area.” The letter notes that “promoting specific political ideology via a public school system’s communications system may be a violation of the California Education Code” and urges the LAUSD to consider the impact of political speech on students:
"That public education should be free from political influence is a well-settled principle, the importance of which is difficult to overstate. In the spirit of offering apolitical education and opportunities to public school students, this email campaign seems like a misinformed effort at best. We urge LAUSD to carefully consider the impact on students of this one-sided campaign."
Have Something to Say? Write for Us
We want the FAIR Substack to be the go-to publication for diverse perspectives on culture and civil rights. Whether you’re a seasoned author or an amateur writer with a story that can contribute to our mission of promoting fairness, understanding, and humanity, we would love to receive your stories, opinions, investigations, reviews, interviews, and more!
Please send your piece to submissions@fairforall.org along with a short personal introduction and a brief, one-paragraph summary.
Submission guidelines:
Complete articles only (i.e., no “works in progress”).
No previously published submissions—this includes personal blogs as well as online or print publications.
We have no hard word count limits, but prefer submissions between 1,000 and 2,500 words.
We hope to hear from you!
FAIR Pro-Human Tour Stop: Wisconsin
The next stop on the Pro-Human Tour is on Wednesday, June 29th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Kenosha Public Museum in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
This Pro-Human Tour Stop is an opportunity for Wisconsinites to join the pro-human movement, which recognizes the unique identity and shared humanity of every individual, and rejects any attempt at flattening people into stereotypes and reducing individuals into interchangeable members of identity groups.
All are invited to attend this event, which will feature a discussion with national and local FAIR leaders—including FAIR Advisor, musician, and race relations expert Daryl Davis, and education reform champion Nathan Hoffman.
Live Conversation and Book Signing with FAIR Advisor Ian Rowe in Stamford, Connecticut
Join FAIR on Wednesday, June 29th at 6:30 p.m. ET for an evening with education reformer and FAIR Advisor Ian Rowe, in conversation with FAIR Advisor and Director of Messaging Angel Eduardo, about Rowe’s new book, Agency: The Four Point Plan (F.R.E.E.) for ALL Children to Overcome the Victimhood Narrative and Discover Their Pathway to Power. This free event will be followed by a book signing.
The first twenty registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book. Additional books will be available for purchase.
Minds Festival of Ideas in New York City
On Saturday, June 25th, Minds is bringing people together from across the social and political spectrum to facilitate real conversations, human connection, and the evolution of ideas. MINDS: Festival of Ideas will feature prominent voices who will come together to have civil dialogue on the important topics of the day.
The goal of the event is to create a space to engage honestly with others in open dialogue surrounding divisive ideas in hopes to bridge the current divide and create a path to a healthier discourse and reduce extremism.
Featuring FAIR Advisors Daryl Davis and Coleman Hughes, FAIR in the Arts Fellow Winston Marshall, along with a wide range of thinkers, artists, and speakers.
FAIR in the Arts Virtual Meetup
Join FAIR in the Arts for a virtual community meetup on Tuesday, June 28th at 7 p.m. ET!
Moderated by FAIR in the Arts Fellow Heather Blakeslee, this meetup will be an opportunity to learn more about ongoing initiatives, meet the team and fellows, have your questions answered, and connect with other members.
All members of FAIR who are artists, educators, administrators, in media, or supporters of arts and culture are welcome to join!
FAIR Perspectives Episode 20: The Classics Belong to Everyone, Featuring Dr. Anika Prather
This week on FAIR Perspectives, we speak with Dr. Anika Prather. Dr. Prather teaches in the Classics Department at Howard University and is the founder of the Living Water School, a unique Christian School for independent learners based on the educational philosophies of classical education and the Sudbury model. Dr. Prather's research focuses on building literacy with African American students through engagement in the books of the canon.
In this episode we discuss Dr. Prather's background as a thinker and educator, the difference between the Western canon and the classics, how works of literature belong to everyone regardless of their ancestry or skin color, her alternative approach to decolonizing curricula, why students have trouble appreciating and engaging with the classics, W.E.B DuBois vs Booker T. Washington, and the importance of telling stories from a human perspective.
Tune in on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts!
FAIR Perspectives Has a New YouTube Channel
We're excited to announce our show is moving to a new YouTube channel. Thank you to all of our listeners who have helped make FAIR Perspectives the success that it is, with enough content to need its own home. Keep following the show at our new channel, FAIR Perspectives.
Please subscribe there to make sure you don't miss our upcoming episodes. We're thrilled to have you as part of the FAIR community.
FAIR News Podcast
For audio versions of our FAIR News and FAIR Weekly Roundup newsletters, subscribe and listen to FAIR News Weekly on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or via RSS feed.
Erec Smith: Black People Are Not a Monolith
For FAIR’s YouTube channel, FAIR Advisor Erec Smith discusses the prevalent notion that all those who share a skin color or ancestry hold the same beliefs, opinions, and values:
“Ironically, even as we champion diversity in America, we all but erase it within the black community. Black people are not a monolith. To assume that we are is the definition of prejudice; it is to flatten and stereotype us based on a falsehood. The most anti-racist thing you can do is to see us as the unique individuals that we are.”
FAIR Diversity Trainings
FAIR Diversity Conversation Series
For all FAIR Members and volunteers. These events are typically held on the first Monday of each month from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. ET.
Registration is now open for the following events:
NO SESSION IN JULY
August 1st
Meet FAIR Diversity: What Is Pro-Human? Meetings
For all FAIR Members and volunteers. These events are typically held on the last Monday of each month from 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. ET.
Registration is now open for the following events:
June 27th
July 25th
August 29th
FAIR Chapter Events
Chapter Events
June 23rd:
Toronto Open House
7:30 p.m. ET
June 28th:
Educator’s Alliance Canada Meetup
7:30 p.m. ET
June 28th:
Toronto In-Person Meet-Up with Jonathan Kay
7:00 p.m. ET
FAIR Educator Alliance ‘Happy Hour’
Teachers often feel isolated and alone in their schools, but FAIR is here for you! The FAIR Educators Alliance brings together educators from all levels to share experiences and concerns and work on developing resources that can support teachers, community members, and FAIR chapters.
We have an informal “happy hour” every Thursday evening at 8:00 p.m. ET, and hold more formal monthly meetings that will address issues based on your interests and needs.
We welcome all teachers and hope you will get connected.
For more information, contact educators@fairforall.org or, for Canadian educators, contact educators-canada@fairforall.org.
Join the FAIR Community
Become a FAIR volunteer or join a FAIR chapter:
Join a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission, or watch a previously recorded session in the Members section of www.fairforall.org.
Sign the FAIR Pledge for a common culture of fairness, understanding and humanity.
Join the FAIR community to connect and share information with other members.
Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.