FAIR News: Protecting Individuality in Colorado Social Studies Standards

Newsletter

FAIR Helps Colorado Social Studies Review Committee Avoid Essentialism

On January 21, 2022, FAIR submitted comments to the Colorado Social Studies Review and Revision Committee on its Draft Revision Recommendations. Among FAIR’s primary concerns with the Draft Revisions was the consistent reference to and grouping together of various groups of people, rather than emphasizing the unique individuality of each of their members. FAIR’s pro-human approach to celebrating our differences and honoring our common humanity informed our comments. Our letter pointed out that: 

Repeatedly clumping [the groups] together as a collection trivializes each of them. Each of those groups is extremely large with countless cultures and subcultures and millions upon millions of unique human beings, and the individual members are exceptionally diverse and varied. To treat them as a mass collection represents them only in the crudest fashion. At the same time, the Recommendations assume that each of the six groups is neatly delineated and separated, when in fact Americans increasingly belong to multiple ancestral groups and the boundaries are blurred.

We are happy to report that in a recent presentation the Colorado Social Studies Review and Revision Committee acknowledged this criticism and responded that it will revisit the Recommendations and make adjustments accordingly. The final version of the Recommendations have not yet been released, but they are expected to be voted on in May.

Have Something to Say? Write for Us

We want our FAIR Substack to be the go-to publication for people interested in sharing and reading 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 submit your piece to submissions@fairforall.org

Submission guidelines:

• Complete articles only (i.e., no “works in progress”).

• No previously published submissions.

• We have no hard word count limits, but prefer submissions between 1,000 and 2,500 words.

• In the email, please include a short personal introduction and brief (one paragraph) summary of the article.

We hope to hear from you!

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FAIR Perspectives

Our guest on FAIR Perspectives this week is Dr. Erec Smith.

Erec Smith is an associate professor of rhetoric at the College of Pennsylvania, whose focus is in the rhetoric of anti-racist activism, theory, and pedagogy. He is also the co-founder of Free Black Thought, a website dedicated to highlighting viewpoint diversity within the black intelligentsia.

In this episode, we discuss his field of rhetoric, what led him to it, African-American Vernacular English versus Standard English, the implications of what activists call “linguistic justice,” what it's like teaching rhetoric in our polarized climate, the utility of ridiculing bad ideas, interacting with Nicole Hannah-Jones, Candace Owens’ “Blexit,” and the publication he co-founded called Free Black Thought.

Tune in on YouTube or wherever you listen to your podcasts!

FAIR News Podcast

For audio versions of our FAIR News and FAIR Weekly Roundup newsletters, subscribe and listen to our FAIR News Podcast.

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The Story of Immigration to the United States

This week FAIR has released the 11th video in our FAIRstory curriculum. The video discusses the complex history of immigration to the United States, revealing its shameful blemishes as well as its triumphs.

Today, the immigrant groups that came at the turn of the 20th century have been integrated into the American mainstream. Few pay attention to the difference among Americans of British descent and those of Italian, German, Polish, Irish, and Russian descent. Where once they were treated differently in the name of “scientific racism,” today few place much importance on where other people’s ancestors came from; their cultures have intermixed and integrated, a fusion known as the American Melting Pot.

Watch more videos from the FAIRstory curriculum on our YouTube channel.

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Webinar: How Activism Impacts Transgender Healthcare: A Pro-Human Discussion

How can we provide safe and quality transgender healthcare in the age of activism in medicine? Join FAIR in Medicine for our webinar How Activism Influences Transgender Healthcare: A Pro-Human Discussion as we engage with this question and others.

Moderated by FAIR Advisor and Senior Fellow Zander Keig, and featuring panelists the Gender Care Consumer Advocacy Network’s Corinna Cohn, founder and Director of the Gender Dysphoria Alliance Aaron Kimberly, and psychotherapist, best selling author and founder of Genspect Stella O’Malley, as we discuss the pro-human approach to transgender healthcare.

TODAY: In-Person Interview & Book Signing with Erec Smith

TODAY, April 28th from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET, join FAIR Advisors Erec Smith and Angel Eduardo for a live, in-person event. Eduardo will be interviewing Smith about his book The Lure of Disempowerment: Reclaiming Agency in the Age of CRT. The interview will be followed by a book signing.

Heterodox Healing Event in San Francisco This July

Announcing the Heterodox Healing mini-conference!

Come join a day-long gathering of leading authors, journalists, and philosophers who challenge the status quo and who seek to transcend in this era of deep polarization.

Featuring FAIR Advisor Dr. Sheena Mason, FAIR Advisor and Director of Messaging & Editorial Angel Eduardo, and friends of FAIR Jenara Nerenberg and Meghan Daum, the mini conference will be held at The Center SF in San Francisco on Saturday, July 16th from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. PT.

Booths are available upon request! More information at heterodoxhealing.com.

FAIR Wellness Webinars

Every Tuesday (the first four Tuesdays of the month) from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. ET, FAIR Advisor Zander Keig will be hosting a series of FREE Wellness Webinars for FAIR members.

FAIR Diversity Training

Meet FAIR Diversity: What It Means to Be Pro-Human 

For all FAIR Members and volunteers. These events are typically held on the last Monday of each month. 

Registration is now open for the following events:

• May 30th, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET

• June 27th, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. ET

FAIR Diversity Conversations Series 

Open to the public! These events are typically held on the first Monday of each month.

In this webinar series, FAIR Diversity panelists discuss how to apply the fundamental principles of inclusive and civil dialogue to everyday social interactions. We use the pro-human approach to navigate challenging conversations in healthcare, education, corporate, non-profit sectors, and more.

Upcoming Webinar: What Does “Compassionate Opposition” Look Like?

• May 2nd, 7:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. ET

• June 6th, 7:00p.m. – 8:00p.m. ET

Please feel free to bring any relevant thoughts, ideas, questions, and insights, to the conversation!

To learn more about FAIR Diversity, please visit our FAIR Diversity website.

FAIR Chapter Events

Chapter Leader Meetings

May 23rd:

• Series 1: Sharpening Our Perspectives

  7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. ET

May 24th:

• Series 2: The Pro-Human Leader

  10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. ET

May 26th:

• Series 3: Pro-Humanizing Language

  12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m. ET

Chapter Events

TODAY (April 28th):

• FAIR Canada - “Running for School Trustee”

  7:30 p.m. ET, ZOOM

April 30th:

• Northern Washington “What killed Michael Brown” Film Event featuring FAIR Advisor Eli Steele.

  7:00 p.m. PT, RSVP via email northern-washington@fairforall.org

  

May 3rd:

• FAIR Ontario 101

  7:30 p.m. ET

May 5th:

• Ontario FAIR 101

  7:30 p.m. ET, ZOOM

May 9th:

• Washington Open House

  7:00 p.m. PT
  Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gek-jxdz-rfv
  Or dial: ‪(US) +1 567-331-1412‬ PIN: ‪624 086 587‬#

May 20th:

• Spokane Meet and Greet

  5:30 p.m. PT
  Details to come!

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. EST, 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.  

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Join the FAIR Community

Become a FAIR volunteer or to 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.

• View our FAIRstory Learning Standards.