FAIR News: A Courageous Student to Inspire Us All
Newsletter
Dear friends of FAIR,
I remember the first time I met Sahar Tartak and her father Ben in January, a few weeks after seeing a video clip of her courageous statement at a school board meeting for Great Neck Public Schools. I was impressed by the intelligence, poise and strong moral resolve of this young woman who had recently joined FAIR, and the love and support she had from her family.
Last year, Sahar was a student at Great Neck North High School on Long Island, New York, and she had a decision to make. As the student government treasurer, she was directed to give $375 in student funds to an outside activist group to pay for a talk she was told would be about “systemic racism.” Sahar felt she didn’t know enough about the organization or its mission, and refused to sign off on the payment without more information, not realizing that this would lead to bullying and intimidation from school administrators and staff that would test Sahar’s—and her parents’—resolve.
Fortunately, Sahar and her family couldn’t be pushed around so easily. They stood up to their detractors, and began to speak out in favor of a pro-human and inclusive approach to anti-racism at her school. Sahar refused to be cowed into silence. What’s more, she inspired other parents and students to speak out in a constructive way about the school’s regressive and flattening approach to teaching students about race and racism.
Last week, Sahar released an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal detailing her experience and the events that transpired at Great Neck North High School. This article, along with a mini-documentary we released featuring Sahar and her father, showcase a strong young woman who is committed to doing her part to help heal the world.
I am immensely proud of Sahar. She is proof positive that there will always be individuals with the strength to speak out for what is right, and inspire others to follow their lead. Sahar is now a first year student at Yale and a Fellow at FAIR, working to advance civil rights and liberties for all Americans, and to promote a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
Together, we are bolstering the forces of love and honest inclusion, over the forces of hate and alienation. Brave, principled young people like Sahar are what make me optimistic about the future, and inspire me to push forward with our positive pro-human mission and approach no matter what obstacles we face along the way. I hope she inspires you too.
Yours,
Bion
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Bion Bartning
bion@fairforall.org
FAIR Wellness Webinar Series
Join FAIR Advisor and licensed clinical social worker Zander Keig in a series of free Wellness Webinars covering the following topics:
Week 6 (9/27): Styles of Conflict Management
Week 7 (10/4): Strengthening Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Week 8 (10/11): How To Form New Habits
Session are on Tuesdays from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET.
Free Grassroots Training Opportunity: How to Be FAIR Without Starting a Fight
Do you want to share the message of FAIR with others but are worried that it may start a fight?
There is a better way: Empower yourself with the knowledge and skills to have better conversations, share FAIR’s pro-human message, and engage without risking your relationships.
Register today for this highly interactive live virtual training, happening on October 25th!
FAIR Book Club: Ian Rowe’s Agency
FAIR’s Book Club meets monthly with a goal to read books that challenge and deepen our understanding of humanity and fairness, while enriching our sense of what it means to be pro-human.
The FAIR in Education Fellows invite you to our next book club meeting on October 26th. In October and November, we will be reading and discussing FAIR Advisor Ian 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.
We hope you will join us as we dig into the sage wisdom and advice offered in this phenomenal book.
Counterweight Conference on Liberal Approaches to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion
FAIR is proud to be sponsoring a four-day conference, hosted by Counterweight, which seeks to explore alternative approaches to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
What would a liberal approach to diversity and inclusion look like? How can we tackle discrimination and racism through a unifying lens? Do these approaches already exist?
Throughout this online conference, you'll hear pre-recorded talks from experts in the field of D&I who can answer some of these questions.
The conference has already begun! Be sure to check the schedule for talks by FAIR Advisors Angel Eduardo, Zander Keig, Erec Smith, Ian Rowe, Sheena Mason, Greg Thomas, and many others!
Resolving the Race(ism) Dilemma Conference
On September 24th in Lexington, Massachusetts, join FAIR Advisors Dr. Sheena Mason and Greg Thomas, along with Dr. Carlos Hoyt, for a day-long conference designed for everyone interested in overcoming racism—teachers, parents, scientists, scholars, social justice leaders, mental health professionals, journalists, and political leaders.
FAIR is proud to sponsor this important event. Learn how racialization produces the illusion of “race” and racism, how to deracialize your worldview, practice antiracialization, and recognize the racelessness of the human species. Explore methods of translating the misleading language of “race” into the actual issues that drive discrimination and oppression. Build connections with others who are eager to not only understand how to move beyond racism but take meaningful action, and consider joining an effort to improve our government's approach to addressing race-based discrimination—one that does not require perpetuating self-racialization.
Pro-Human Tour Stop: Washington, D.C.
Join us on Monday, October 10th from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET for a chance to join the pro-human movement in person and engage in an evening of discussion about applying FAIR’s principles to a polarized world.
You’ll also have an opportunity to enjoy the musical talent of the legendary musician and FAIR Advisor Daryl Davis, along with FAIR’s Director of Messaging & Editorial Angel Eduardo, Constitutional law expert Johnny Davis, members of the FAIR D.C. and Virginia chapters, and FAIR-minded people from the D.C. metro area.
Registration is free and open to all!
Pro-Human Tour Stop: Twin Cities
Please join FAIR’s Twin Cities chapter on Saturday, October 15th at 9:00 a.m. CT for the next stop on the Pro-Human Tour, featuring author, educator, and FAIR Advisor Wilfred Reilly, and FAIR in Medicine Director Dr. Carrie Mendoza.
Professor Reilly will discuss his book, Taboo: The 10 Facts You Can’t Talk About, and Dr. Mendoza will share her views on current trends in medicine, including the recent heightened focus on race and gender in healthcare.
This event will also be an opportunity to connect with the FAIR Twin Cities chapter for the latest updates and information, and how you can join the pro-human movement!
Registration is free and open to all!
Pro-Human Tour Stop: Evanston, Illinois
Join FAIR’s Founder and President Bion Bartning along with FAIR Advisors Daryl Davis, Monica Harris, and Jason Hill for an evening of music and conversation about FAIR’s pro-human approach to addressing social issues and uniting our communities.
The event will also feature music by Daryl Davis, FAIR in Medicine Fellow Robert Graboyes, and Nashville musician and Chicago native Madeline Kelsen.
This event will take place on October 18th from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. CT. Registration is now open.
Please email us at gavin.coon@fairforall.org if you have any questions.
Zoom Conversation with FAIR Legal
Want to know more about FAIR's legal advocacy work and speak directly with the lawyers who are making it happen?
Join us at 1:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, October 20th for a lively, interactive conversation with FAIR Advisor Samantha Harris and her law partner Michael Allen of Allen Harris Law, as well as FAIR legal network attorney Dan Cragg from Eckland & Blando in Minneapolis, and Letitia Kim, Leigh Ann O'Neill, and Reid Newton from FAIR's in-house legal team.
Registration is FREE and open to all.
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.
Sarah Haider: Freedom of Religion Means Respecting the Right to Be Without It
For FAIR’s YouTube channel, Co-Founder of Ex-Muslims of North America Sarah Haider describes the difficulties and intolerance she and many others have faced for leaving and criticizing their religion—from being called a “hate monger” to an “Uncle Tom” to a “house Arab.” Sarah emphasizes that the pro-human values of tolerance, fairness, understanding, and humanity should be extended to all, regardless of their beliefs (or lack thereof).
I don’t think anyone, even those who hate my apostasy, should be silenced. What I ask for is that we stand up for the right to speak for everyone, including both those that stand with us and even those who call for the death of disbelievers. This is what ex-believers like myself from all religions ask for: the freedom to be ourselves. Please stand with us.
FAIR Chapter Events
Chapter Events
September 29th:
FAIR Mississippi Chapter Launch
7:00 p.m. CT
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.
Take the Pro-Human Pledge and help promote a common culture based on 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.
Well done. Sahar does understand critical thinking, which is a quality that seems to be no longer valued or promoted in much of our educational curricula. Another good book I just finished reading is Next Gen Marxism, by Gonzalez and Gorka, (meticulously researched). Whether everyone who tries to leap frog over critical thinking is aware of this or not, there is a method to the madness of these educational trends on the part of many. The long-term aim (and many proponents are not shy about articulating it) is the disruption of Western values, free markets, and representative democracy. And as Sahar's father points out, these educational programs are detrimental to students' emotional health and wellbeing. I myself cringe when i see them being inflicted on students, and it's particularly stressful for a student who claps back as Sahar has done. Lucky for Sahar that she has supportive, involved parents. These "anti-racist" curricular changes and programs are not just a wrongheaded educational fad, as I had first assumed. God knows there have been plenty of those. But this is far worse, and has a very destructive potential. The more we ordinary people - students, parents, concerned citizens - have the courage to stand up to it, the better off we all will be.
I am so glad I watched that. What an inspiring story and family! I read Diangelo’s book years ago and was shocked by the poorly conceived conclusions driven by the personal bias of the author. I cannot imagine teachers promoting it as an acceptable work of social science.