December 02, 2020
IfRFA Applications: Round Two!
by IfRFA Team
Dear Friends,
It’s finally December! Or is it? What even is time? As always, we’re so glad you’re here.
Our application is open for summer 2021! We can’t wait to award $10,000 in summer funding to current 1Ls or 2Ls who have an interest in the First Amendment. If that sounds like you, please apply! If it doesn’t, we’d really appreciate it if you could share information about our program far and wide!
What’s happening now:
The 2021 IfRFA application is officially live! We’d like to note that our team will not be reviewing applications until after the application window has closed on January 11, 2021. We encourage our prospective applicants not to worry about applying to our program as soon as possible and to instead feel free to take their time in perusing the application questions before submitting their materials here.
Additionally, we are pleased to welcome Andrew Geronimo to the IfRFA advisory board. Geronimo is the Director of the First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. He has taught in the First Amendment Lab, the First Amendment Clinic, and the Intellectual Property Venture Clinic, and is passionate about the audience effects of censorship—how censorship of speakers affects the public's ability to learn, evaluate, compare, and criticize viewpoints. We couldn’t be happier to have him on board.
What's up next:
As soon as the holidays are over (the IfRFA team returns to the “office” on January 4th), we'll be sending last minute reminders to get the applications in. We're also hoping to do a little bit of promotional programming via Zoom webinars! You can be the first to find out the details by following us at our, currently very empty, Twitter account: @IfRFA. Our January plan is to review the applications after the deadline date (Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59pm ET) and during mid-to-late January, we’ll be sending notifications to the candidates selected for an interview.
Last year, our March workshop for our fellows had to be cancelled due to the pandemic and the quarantine guidelines, and this year, we're sad to say that we're going to be remote again. Our IfRFA fellows' workshop will be on March 25th and 26th of 2021. Although our fellows won't be able to have an in-person bonding event (last year we were going bouldering!) we are hoping to engage them in meaningful conversations about freedom of expression, do a little bit of virtual-speed-networking with our Advisory Board members, and play more Codenames! The new cohort will also have a chance to have a private Q&A session with our summer 2020 cohort.
As always, we're hoping that you, our wonderful audience, will spread the word about our application and help us pass it along to those that you might think are good candidates for IfRFA!
What’s on our minds:
As we count the days till January 20th, we’ve been reflecting on the Executive Order restricting organizations who take federal funds from hiring workplace trainers who talk honestly and openly about systemic oppression. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund sued over it back in November, and now it’s a question about whether the court case moves before Biden (hopefully) rescinds the order.
The African American Policy Forum (led by Kimberle Crenshaw), has started the #TruthBeTold campaign to call for the rescinding of the gag order.
This has been on our minds not just because the litigation over this executive order is right at the center of things we care about over at IfRFA (training, anti-oppression, and the First Amendment), but because it took so long for a suit to be filed over it, and we’re seeing it from the LDF, not one of the more traditional organizations that focuses on First Amendment issues. Not to editorialize too much, but it does speak to the gap between traditional First Amendment orgs and anti-racism issues.
On a much happier note, we’re bringing this fantastic example of expressive conduct into 2021 with us.
See you there,
Jasjot, Kendra, and Sybil.
It’s finally December! Or is it? What even is time? As always, we’re so glad you’re here.
Our application is open for summer 2021! We can’t wait to award $10,000 in summer funding to current 1Ls or 2Ls who have an interest in the First Amendment. If that sounds like you, please apply! If it doesn’t, we’d really appreciate it if you could share information about our program far and wide!
What’s happening now:
The 2021 IfRFA application is officially live! We’d like to note that our team will not be reviewing applications until after the application window has closed on January 11, 2021. We encourage our prospective applicants not to worry about applying to our program as soon as possible and to instead feel free to take their time in perusing the application questions before submitting their materials here.
Additionally, we are pleased to welcome Andrew Geronimo to the IfRFA advisory board. Geronimo is the Director of the First Amendment Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. He has taught in the First Amendment Lab, the First Amendment Clinic, and the Intellectual Property Venture Clinic, and is passionate about the audience effects of censorship—how censorship of speakers affects the public's ability to learn, evaluate, compare, and criticize viewpoints. We couldn’t be happier to have him on board.
What's up next:
As soon as the holidays are over (the IfRFA team returns to the “office” on January 4th), we'll be sending last minute reminders to get the applications in. We're also hoping to do a little bit of promotional programming via Zoom webinars! You can be the first to find out the details by following us at our, currently very empty, Twitter account: @IfRFA. Our January plan is to review the applications after the deadline date (Monday, January 11, 2021 at 11:59pm ET) and during mid-to-late January, we’ll be sending notifications to the candidates selected for an interview.
Last year, our March workshop for our fellows had to be cancelled due to the pandemic and the quarantine guidelines, and this year, we're sad to say that we're going to be remote again. Our IfRFA fellows' workshop will be on March 25th and 26th of 2021. Although our fellows won't be able to have an in-person bonding event (last year we were going bouldering!) we are hoping to engage them in meaningful conversations about freedom of expression, do a little bit of virtual-speed-networking with our Advisory Board members, and play more Codenames! The new cohort will also have a chance to have a private Q&A session with our summer 2020 cohort.
As always, we're hoping that you, our wonderful audience, will spread the word about our application and help us pass it along to those that you might think are good candidates for IfRFA!
What’s on our minds:
As we count the days till January 20th, we’ve been reflecting on the Executive Order restricting organizations who take federal funds from hiring workplace trainers who talk honestly and openly about systemic oppression. The NAACP Legal Defense Fund sued over it back in November, and now it’s a question about whether the court case moves before Biden (hopefully) rescinds the order.
The African American Policy Forum (led by Kimberle Crenshaw), has started the #TruthBeTold campaign to call for the rescinding of the gag order.
This has been on our minds not just because the litigation over this executive order is right at the center of things we care about over at IfRFA (training, anti-oppression, and the First Amendment), but because it took so long for a suit to be filed over it, and we’re seeing it from the LDF, not one of the more traditional organizations that focuses on First Amendment issues. Not to editorialize too much, but it does speak to the gap between traditional First Amendment orgs and anti-racism issues.
On a much happier note, we’re bringing this fantastic example of expressive conduct into 2021 with us.
“The battle isn’t over”
— no otro lado (@marissajv) November 6, 2020
hasta la victoria siempre baby pic.twitter.com/m57l3G1vHn
See you there,
Jasjot, Kendra, and Sybil.