Afraid To Speak Freely with Rosie Kay and More
A community discussion with founder of Freedom in the Arts Rosie Kay on her highly-anticipated report. Join us live in NYC on May 19th. Plus our favorite reads.
ROSIE KAY: Afraid to Speak Freely
On Sunday, May 11th, join FAIR in the Arts for a community discussion with choreographer, FAIR Arts Fellow, and founder of Freedom in the Arts Rosie Kay. We look forward to speaking with Rosie about the findings from her highly anticipated May 6th report, Afraid to Speak Freely. This report explores the state of freedom of expression within the UK arts sector, shedding light on self-censorship, intimidation, and the chilling effects of ideological conformity. Register here.
[The report] highlights how politically sensitive topics—such as gender identity, Israel-Palestine, and race—have become virtually off-limits, undermining the open debate and creative risk-taking that define the arts.
Co-authored by Rosie Kay, Denise Fahmy and Professor Jo Phoenix, the report concludes with a call to action: arts institutions must urgently commit to protecting freedom of expression, supporting viewpoint diversity, and rejecting ideological gatekeeping.
We look forward to seeing many of you on May 11th. Learn more about Afraid to Speak Freely at www.freedominthearts.com.
May 19th: An Evening with Adam Gussow in NYC
On Monday, May 19th, join FAIR for an exclusive book talk with Adam Gussow, professor of English and Southern Studies at the University of Mississippi and a world-renowned blues harmonica player. This talk will be moderated by FAIR Arts Manager and Adjunct Professor of Music at Hofstra University, Brent Morden.
The author of My Family and I: A Mississippi Memoir, Gussow comes to New York City to share inspiring stories from his lifelong quest for racial reconciliation. From gigging in the streets of 1980s Harlem to graduate training at Princeton to teaching at Mississippi's most notorious prison, Gussow has lived a life uplifting Martin Luther King Jr.'s vision for a just, humane, and colorblind America—especially in the 2020's as social justice fundamentalists insist on stigmatizing whiteness and hardening the color line rather than healing our divisions.
With a live musical performance and a social to close out the evening, we look forward to seeing many of you on May 19th. More info and tickets here.
"A must-read at a political moment when the colorblind ideal has been so cynically exploited.” -- Thomas Chatterton Williams, author of Self-Portrait in Black and White: Family, Fatherhood, and Rethinking Race
ICYMI: Congratulating our Artist Grant Winners!
In case you missed it: FAIR is thrilled to announce the winners of our 2025 Artist Grant!
The FAIR Artist Grant was established as a fund for independent artists seeking support for professional activities that align with FAIR’s mission of advancing fairness, understanding, and humanity in the arts. Our purpose is to further a culture where all artists—regardless of their perceived identity group or belief system—can be judged on the quality of their work and practice their craft freely without fear.
FAIR congratulates our 2025 Artist Grant winners: Grand Prize—Julie Eicher Aguilar, Robert Cooperman, Maziar Ghaderi, Frank Mihelich, Lou Perez, Molly Surazhsky, Julia Wald, and and Elena Velez; Runners Up—Seth Clayton, Nicholas Cueva, Lauren Marshall, Kate Rodriguez, Tom Rowan, and Aleta Valente. Learn more about and support our Artist Grant here. Read our full press release below:
Read, Listen, and Watch
This month, we’re reading:
“Hollywood is a Ghost Town and Everyone Knows It” – Sasha Stone for Free Thinking through the Fourth Turning (5/4/25)
“30 Ways to Revitalize Arts & Culture” – Ted Gioia for The Honest Broker (5/2/25)
“Fire Walk With Me” – Wade Major for The Hollywood Heretic (4/24/25)
“Of Political Horseshoes and Ideological Contagion” – Hector Herrera for Friendly Fire (4/24/25)
“CBS Settles Discrimination Lawsuit Over Alleged Racial Quotas for Hiring TV Writers” – Winston Cho for The Hollywood Reporter (4/21/25)
“A Banjo, a Bible, and the Road Back Home” – Winston Marshall for The Free Press (4/20/25)
“After math (3)” – E. Lily Yu for The Paper Airplane (4/19/25)
“Disney vs Dwarfs: ‘Snow White’ Is More Evidence That the Madness Isn’t Behind Us” – Ted Balaker for The Shiny Herd (3/25/25)
“How Cringe Stole My Christmas” – Jukka Savolainen for Free Black Thought (3/24/25)
And we’re listening to:
The Countercultural Arts Fund – Yuri Bezmenov and Brian Chau for From the New World (4/27/25)
Questions? Tips? Anything you’d like to share? Reach out to us at arts@fairforall.org.