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Today, almost 70 years after Brown v. Board of Education ushered in the civil rights movement, there is an urgent need to reaffirm and advance its core principles. To insist on our common humanity. To demand that we are each entitled to equality under the law. To bring about a world in which we are all judged by the content of our character and not by the color of our skin.
That’s where FAIR comes in.
We defend civil rights and liberties guaranteed to each individual, including freedom of speech and expression, equal protection under the law, and the right to personal privacy.
We advocate for individuals who are threatened or persecuted for speech, or who are held to a different set of rules for language or conduct based on their skin color, ancestry, or other immutable characteristics.
We support respectful disagreement. We believe bad ideas are best confronted with good ideas—and never with dehumanization, deplatforming, or blacklisting.
We believe that objective truth exists, that it is discoverable, and that scientific research must be untainted by any political agenda.
We are pro-human and promote compassionate opposition to intolerance and racism rooted in dignity and our common humanity.
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”
“To suppress free speech is a double wrong. It violates the rights of the hearer as well as those of the speaker.”
“We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection.”
Fairness
I seek to treat everyone equally without regard to skin color or other immutable characteristics. I believe in applying the same rules to everyone, and reject disparagement of individuals based on the circumstances of their birth.
Understanding
I am open-minded. I seek to understand opinions or behavior that I do not necessarily agree with. I pursue the objective truth through honest inquiry. I am tolerant and consider points of view that are in conflict with my convictions.
Humanity
I recognize that every person has a unique identity, that our shared humanity is precious, and that it is up to all of us to defend and protect the civic culture that unites us.
Based on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s
Principles of Nonviolence
Telling the truth is a way of life for courageous people. Peaceful change cannot happen without a commitment to the truth.
We seek to win friendship and gain understanding. The result of our movement is redemption and reconciliation.
We recognize that those who are intolerant and seek to oppress others are also human, and are not evil people. We seek to defeat evil, not people.
Suffering can educate and transform. We will not retaliate when attacked, physically or otherwise. We will meet hate and anger with compassion and kindness.
We seek to resolve conflict through dialogue, not violence. We believe in the power of love.
We trust that the universe is on the side of justice. The pro-human approach is based on deep faith that justice will eventually win.
Maud Maron is an attorney with over two decades of experience as a public defender in Manhattan and the Bronx. She served as the Director of Training at the Legal Aid Society and taught Criminal Defense at the Cardozo School of Law.
Maud is a co-founder and current co-president of PLACE NYC, a pro-merit education advocacy organization dedicated to improving NYC’s public schools.
She is a frequent contributor to the NYPost on education and politics. She lives with her husband and four children in Manhattan.
FAIR is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to advancing civil rights and liberties for all Americans, and promoting a common culture based on fairness, understanding, and humanity.
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