FAIR News: Standing Up for Daniel Marquez
FAIR News: Standing Up for Daniel Marquez
Newsletter
FAIR Stands Up for a 10-Year-Old Boy’s Civil Liberties
On May 28th, 10-year-old Daniel Marquez was arrested at his Florida home by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, led by Carmine Marceno. Daniel was subsequently booked, handcuffed, perp-walked, and incarcerated for 21 days before charges were filed.
The basis for the arrest were private text messages sent by Daniel to a friend, intended as a joke, which the Sheriff mischaracterized as a “threat” to fit his political agenda. Within three hours of the arrest, Marceno, who has a history of falsely and publicly accusing kids in this way, posted Daniel’s name, mugshot, and a “perp walk” video on the department’s Facebook page.
This case goes far beyond the excessive behavior on the part of Marceno, and even the irreparable harm done to Daniel and his family. If a 10-year-old child can be arrested at the whim of an attention-seeking politician, locked up for 21 days, and prosecuted—for an obvious attempt at humor—then our own civil liberties and freedoms are also at risk.
FAIR is committed to advancing civil rights and liberties of all Americans, including children, and will be supporting Daniel and his family against these wrongful charges.
If you would like to support the Marquez family, please consider donating to the family’s legal defense fund.
FAIR Sends Letter to Vermont State Board of Education Over “Critical” Ethnic Studies
On June 27th, FAIR's legal team sent a letter to Tammy Kolbe and Kimberly Gleason, co-chairs of the Vermont State Board of Education (SBE) regarding proposed changes to Vermont’s definition of ethnic studies by The Ethnic Studies and Social Equity Working Group.
The group defines “ethnic studies” as “Interdisciplinary, age appropriate and grade-appropriate curricula and programs dedicated to the historical and contemporary study of race, ethnicity, and Indigenous Peoples…with a critical focus on the experiences and perspectives of racial and ethnic groups and Indigenous Peoples that have suffered systemic oppression, marginalization, and discrimination within and outside the United States.”
FAIR’s letter highlights issues with “this definition’s repeated and ambiguous use of the term ‘critical,’” noting that “while ‘critical’ may innocuously refer to conducting a thorough and scrutinizing examination, it may be construed (or misconstrued) as referring to critical theory.”
Formal critical theory seeks to understand our world in terms of “circumstances of domination and oppression” and “institutional forms of domination,” especially along lines of race, gender, and class. (See, “Critical Theory,” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). The proposed definition’s suggestion to “focus on the experiences and perspectives of racial and ethnic groups” and their “systemic oppression,” as well to use race, gender, and class as a “lens” all mirrors the language of critical theory and makes it particularly likely for the term “critical” to be construed as referring to critical theory.
Announcing the FAIR Book Club
Calling all FAIR book lovers! The FAIR Fellows in Education invite you to our new FAIR Book Club, where all FAIR-minded readers can explore books that challenge and deepen our understanding of what it means to be pro-human.
We will be kicking off the club with our first book—Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane—with a Zoom session on July 27th at 7 p.m. ET, followed by a second discussion at the same time on August 17th.
We hope you’ll join us as we dive into this powerful memoir about the author’s coming of age as a black youth under apartheid in South Africa.
Save the date, and stay tuned for registration links and updates!
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 in Medicine July Open House
Join FAIR in Medicine on Thursday, July 14th at 7:00 p.m. CT for our July Open House with special guest, FAIR Advisor Fred Luskin, PhD.
Dr. Luskin founded and currently serves as Director of the Stanford University Forgiveness Projects, where he teaches classes on Positive Psychology, The Art and Science of Meditation, Forgiveness, Wellness, Flourishing and The Psychology of Storytelling to undergraduate and graduate students. He is the author of the best-selling books Forgive for Good: A Proven Prescription for Health and Happiness and Forgive for Love: The Missing Ingredient for a Healthy and Happy Relationship.
Chicago Pro-Human Classroom Workshop
K-12 Educators, please join us on July 28th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CT at the The Skyline Conference Room in Chicago, Illinois, for an in-person workshop focused on how to create a culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity in the classroom. You'll learn to assess and improve classroom climate with the pro-human teaching rubric, support student viewpoint diversity, and help students build connections and understanding across cultures.
The workshop will include methods practice and scenario planning with FAIR’s classroom support tools.
Save the date and stay tuned for registration information!
An Evening with Bari Weiss and Meg Smaker
Please join us on Wednesday, July 20th, in Los Angeles for a special evening with author, journalist, and FAIR Advisor Bari Weiss, and documentary filmmaker Meg Smaker. You are invited to enjoy a screening of Smaker’s new documentary, The Unredacted, followed by a Q&A with Smaker and Weiss.
Twenty years after the Guantanamo Bay detention camp was established by the U.S. military in the wake of 9/11, its legacy continues to cast a long shadow. Formerly entitled Jihad Rehab, The Unredacted focuses on several men—detained in Guantanamo for years without charge by the United States—after they are placed in what’s billed as the world’s first rehabilitation center for extremists. There, they undergo the center’s “deradicalization” program, which includes therapy sessions and life skills classes, before they are permitted to be released into an unfamiliar society where they will face new challenges. With empathy and extraordinary access, this film is a powerful document of how individuals and societies face the far-reaching consequences of conflict.
Save the date and stay tuned for registration information!
FAIR Perspectives Episode 21: There’s Hope for the West, with Douglas Murray
This week on FAIR Perspectives, we speak with FAIR Advisor Douglas Murray. Douglas is a journalist and author of The Strange Death of Europe, The Madness of Crowds, and most recently The War on the West: How to Prevail in the Age of Unreason. Douglas is a columnist for The Spectator and has also written regularly for numerous other outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Times, The Sunday Times, The Sun, The Evening Standard and The New Criterion.
We discuss how Douglas labels himself, the utility of labels in general, the difference between the British and the American Right, his book The War on the West, how self-criticism in America has become self-loathing, dog whistles, noticing the good and the bad in all societies, whether there is hope for the future, and whether Douglas has any praise for the left.
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
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FAIR Chapter Events
Chapter Events
July 5th:
FAIR Ontario 101 Tuesday Series (Recurring on the first Tuesday of the month)
7:30 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.