Discover more from Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism
Dear Friends of FAIR,
It has been brought to our attention that literary journals across the country are engaging in discriminatory practices in obtaining submissions from individuals seeking publication. We have independently verified that what has been reported to FAIR is accurate, and will be sharing that information with you all soon.
As an organization committed to pro-human anti-racism, FAIR supports efforts to achieve greater fairness and diversity in all industries. We believe, however, that offering differential treatment in submission requirements based on skin color or ancestry violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act, thereby infringing upon the rights of all of those who submit work to them. (Some are also in violation of the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, from which Title VI is derived.)
We recognize that the underlying goal in offering preferential treatment to certain individuals is often to remediate the effects of past discrimination or to create environments that are more diverse and inclusive. Indeed, it is generous and thoughtful of journals to offer preferential submission requirements for those facing economic hardships or other needs. But such needs cannot be logically assigned to users based on immutable traits, and under Federal law, the journals may not offer such benefits only to certain individuals based on their skin color or ancestry.
In the coming weeks, FAIR will be publishing an open letter, signed by many friends of FAIR, in an effort to gain greater fairness for authors and artists who submit their work to literary journals. Stay tuned.
Warmly,
The Team at the Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism
Parent Advocacy Training: Engaging School Boards
Join FAIR in Education fellow Tanya Simons on Today, September 21st from 7 - 8pm EST for a meeting in which you will learn how to effectively engage school board members and other decision makers. School boards make decisions that directly impact the education your child receives. Learn how to effectively advocate on behalf of your child in the public education system.
Voices for Liberty Symposium on Civil Rights and Free Speech
Join friend of FAIR Voices for Liberty Friday, September 22nd from 9:30am – 5:00pm for the Voices for Liberty Symposium on Civil Rights and Free Speech. This symposium brings together senior scholars and exciting new voices to present cutting-edge research on the role freedom of speech plays in advancing civil rights movements (past, present and future). Scholars will present new papers exploring whether free expression helps or harms the cause of social progress, entrenching an unjust status quo or providing critical support for groups wishing to challenge it. Topics include the free speech rights of BLM protestors, the impact of speech restrictions on disability rights, Section 230, and the censoring of abolitionist newspapers in the American south.
Voices for Liberty, an initiative of the Liberty & Law Center at Scalia Law, aims to broaden debates about freedom of speech. We bring in new perspectives through incubated scholarship, campus speakers, and public events.
SEL, Surveys, and Student Data: What Parents Need to Know
Join us on Tuesday, September 26th from 7 - 8:30pm EST for a 60 minute webinar followed by 30 minutes of Q&A about parental rights and the harms of the seemingly innocuous surveys that students are being asked to take in schools.
What is transformative Social Emotional Learning? Which surveys and screeners do schools commonly use, and how are they being used to collect student data? Could the content of these be harmful to your child’s mental health? What are your rights and responsibilities as a parent to protect your child from these data collection tools?
This webinar will explore the application and implications of screeners and surveys used to collect data on K-12 students in the domains of Social Emotional Learning and mental health. Panelists include child and adolescent psychiatrist and FAIR in Medicine Fellow Dr. Lauren Schwartz, school law and FAIR Network Attorney Daniel Rhoads, and SEL consultant Jennifer McWilliams. Each panelist brings their own expertise on this important topic.
Tales from the Homefront in the Fight to Save Our Kids
Join FAIR in Medicine and Parents with Inconvenient Truths about Trans (PITT) on September 28th from 8 - 9:30pm EST for a discussion of their new book Tales from the Homefront in the Fight to Save Our Kids. Hear directly from PITT parents about their experiences with their child’s trans-identification. How did this impact their families, their mental and physical health, and their relationship with their child? What wisdom do these parents have to share with families and clinicians touched by gender dysphoria?
Genspect Presents: The Bigger Picture, a Healthy Approach to Sex and Gender
Save the date! November 4th and 5th, join friend of FAIR, Genspect, for a conference in Denver, Colorado on gender care and the thought leaders creating better solutions. The tickets go on sale exclusively to friends of Genspect today! Friends of Genspect also receive a 25% discount off all events.
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.
FAIR Educators Alliance & Other Networks
Connect with other pro-human educators through the FAIR Educators Alliance. We bring together educators from all levels to share experiences and work on developing resources that can support teachers, community members, and FAIR chapters.
Teachers, administrators, librarians, and educators of all kinds are welcome. For more information and to join any of these networks, please email educators@fairforall.org.
Join the FAIR Community
Join us, and become a member of FAIR.
Become a FAIR volunteer, or join a FAIR chapter.
Take the Pro-Human Pledge and help promote a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
Sign-up for a Welcome to FAIR Zoom information session to learn more about our mission.
Share your reviews and incident reports on our FAIR Transparency website.
Subscribe to Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism
Promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
The following--which I just pulled off my Twitter feed--is typical:
Sonora Review
@sonorareview
·
18 Sep
Submissions for Sonora Review are open! We welcome writers of all backgrounds and identities, particularly including people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, people with disabilities, and all others whom traditional publishing has historically excluded. We can't wait to read your work.
I'd heard about orchestras--which used to listen to applicant tapes blind, not knowing gender, ethnicity or sexual identity--now actively recruiting persons of color, favoring skin over merit. These practices in any area of the arts or anywhere else are unacceptable. I submit frequently to literary magazines like Sonora Review, and have seen, occasionally on the Submittable platform, requests to identify the skin color or some other quality of the person submitting. I've been quite unhappy about this for a long time and am glad FAIR is calling out magazines for this practice.
. Indeed, it is generous and thoughtful of journals to offer preferential submission requirements for those facing economic hardships or other needs.
You are extremely naive to think this won’t be abused. It’s also wrong. I want the best people available. People overcoming hardship deserve our respect, but not preferential treatment.