FAIR News: A Year of Progress
FAIR News: A Year of Progress
December 23rd, 2021
As we approach the end of the year, we are grateful for the community that has come together in support of FAIR’s mission of advancing civil rights and liberties for all and promoting a common culture of fairness, understanding and humanity.
Since launching less than nine months ago, nearly 40,000 people have joined our pro-human movement, including 100 chapters across the United States, five new chapters in Canada, and a network of more than 80 attorneys who have advised hundreds of people.
Every day we are working to develop resources, implement our programs and services, and grow our vibrant grassroots organization. But while our growth has inspired optimism, our work is just beginning.
If you want to learn more or get involved, please join us or support our efforts with a tax-deductible donation.
We are thrilled to announce the addition of three new members to our Board of Advisors!
Batya Ungar-Sargon
Batya Ungar-Sargon is the deputy opinion editor of Newsweek, and was previously the opinion editor of the Forward, the largest Jewish media outlet in America. She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, Foreign Policy, Newsweek, the New York Review of Books Daily, and other publications. She makes regular appearances on MSNBC, NBC, NPR, and other media outlets. She holds a PhD from the University of California, Berkeley.
Jonathan Kay
Jonathan Kay is a renowned Canadian journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of The Walrus (2014–2017), and is senior editor at Quillette and host of their Quillette podcast. He was previously comment pages editor, columnist, and blogger for the Toronto-based Canadian daily newspaper National Post, and continues to contribute to the newspaper on a freelance basis. He is also a book author and editor, ghost writer, public speaker, and a regular contributor to Commentary and the New York Post.
John Wood Jr.
John Wood Jr. is a noted writer and speaker, musical artist, and former nominee for congress whose work has focused on creating understanding between polarized groups around contentious social and political issues. Since 2017, Wood has served as national ambassador for Braver Angels, an organization dedicated to bridging the partisan divide and strengthening democracy, and has spoken at venues such as the Global Philanthropy Forum and the Aspen Institute. Wood is a contributor to Areo Magazine and has appeared in various media, including as a contributor to the Wall Street Journal and as a guest on The Larry Elder Show.
FAIR has recently launched a chapter in Mobile, Alabama! If you are in the area and want to connect with other FAIR-minded people, don’t hesitate to reach out to chapter leader Martin (Scott) Catino at mobile@fairforall.org.
Call for Submissions
This week we published a powerful new piece on our Fair for All Substack by Benjamin J. Morley titled “I spoke out against discriminatory training. You should too,” which details Morley’s experience with discriminatory workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion training that attempted to force him and others to adopt an intolerant and race-essentialist ideology.
Despite the social pressure to conform, Morley eventually mustered the courage to speak up about his misgivings, and was both surprised and encouraged when others expressed similar concerns. Morley hopes others will find the courage to speak up about discriminatory trainings in their own workplaces.
If you would like to submit your writing to our Substack, please check out our submission guidelines at the bottom of our “About” page here.
We hope to hear from you!
John Wood Jr. on Privilege
In our latest video, newly-minted FAIR Advisor John Wood Jr. describes growing up as a biracial individual in a multicultural community, and how this has gifted him a privileged life not despite his skin color, but in part because of it. According to Wood:
Pointing out that I, as one individual black man am possessed of more privilege in my life than millions of white people in America is not to claim that the historic struggle of African-Americans and other marginalized groups is roughly comparable to that of poor white people today. It is, instead, to say that privilege and marginalization in America are not mere matters of color.
Wood believes that uniting a deeply polarized America depends on our understanding that simple fact.
Gender Ideology Webinar
Last week we held our first webinar on gender titled “Gender Ideology: Problems and Pro-Human Solution,” where we explored the topics of sex and gender, discussed the concerns many parents have with the way “gender identity” is taught in their kids’ schools, and learned how we can move forward with a pro-human approach to supporting and accepting every individual regardless of their sex and gender identity.
The panel included journalist and FAIR Advisor Abigail Shrier, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig, LCSW, Dr. Mirriam Grossman, MD, Dr. Carrie Mendoza, MD, and attorney Candice Jackson; the discussion was moderated by biologist and FAIR Editor Colin Wright.
Society & Culture
The American Enterprise Institute recently held a discussion between FAIR Advisors Ian V. Rowe and John McWhorter to discuss McWhorter’s book Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America, and what will happen if this new religion is left unchecked. McWhorter also advised the rising generation and Darryl, a 16-year-old Black kid from “forgotten USA,” on how to navigate through the reciprocal shouting matches that seem to have become such a large part of American society.
FIRE’s Free Speech Essay Contest
The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE) is awarding $20,000 in scholarships to students who can make the best argument for why freedom of speech is a better idea than censorship. All juniors and seniors in U.S. high schools are eligible.
Entries are due by December 31st.
Check out FIRE's essay contest page for details.
FAIR Educator Alliance
Teachers often feel isolated and alone in their schools, but FAIR is here for you! We will be holding weekly informal “happy hours” to share experiences and concerns and work on developing resources just for teachers. We’ll also be holding more formal monthly meetings to address issues based on your needs and interests.
For more information, please email educators@fairforall.org
The Zoom link to our weekly happy hour can be found here.
Grassroots Training Workshops
Are you ready to be an effective advocate for pro-human values in your community? You know in your heart of hearts our common culture of fairness, understanding, and humanity requires you to be civically engaged and actively organizing and advocating in your community.
But how do you get started?
We’ve got you covered with the FAIR Grassroots Leader Training series.
Register to learn practical tools for organizing your community, how to be a more effective advocate, and ways to create positive, bottom-up change in our culture and country. The sessions include:
Grassroots Leader Session 1 | Bottom-Up Organizing
Grassroots Leader Session 2 | Finding Your Place At FAIR
Grassroots Leader Session 3 | Organizing Your Organizing
Public Speaking Training | Keeping Your Audience Captivated
Register now for the next Grassroots Leader Training series.
Join the FAIR Community
Click here to become a FAIR volunteer or to join a FAIR chapter:
Join a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission by clicking here. Or, to watch a previously recorded session click here to visit the Member 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.