The National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) is a non-profit civil-rights organization in the US dedicated to improving the quality of life for the obese. NAAFA works to eliminate discrimination based on body size and provide fat people with the tools for self-empowerment through public education, advocacy and member support.
NAAFA was founded in 1969 by William Fabrey in New York as the National Association to Aid Fat Americans. In their early years social activities and letter-writing campaigns were a major part of the organization. As the organization turned more toward political activism, the name was changed during the 1980s.
NAAFA has a yearly national convention in summer, which is usually alternated between the east and west coasts. The latest newsletters are available on the NAAFA website.
In 2008 they introduced the NAAFA Size Diversity Toolkit to try to educate corporations on quality of life issues. As part of its ongoing campaign, NAAFA also opposes airline policies regarding charging fat people for each seat they use.
Penn and Teller featured NAAFA (in an episode called "Obesity") on the Showtime series Bullshit! (March 24, 2007).
Famous quotes containing the words national, association, advance, fat and/or acceptance:
“It is no part of the functions of the National Government to find employment for the people, and if we were to appropriate a hundred millions for his purpose, we should only be taxing 40 millions of people to keep a few thousand employed.”
—James A. Garfield (1831–1881)
“The spiritual kinship between Lincoln and Whitman was founded upon their Americanism, their essential Westernism. Whitman had grown up without much formal education; Lincoln had scarcely any education. One had become the notable poet of the day; one the orator of the Gettsyburg Address. It was inevitable that Whitman as a poet should turn with a feeling of kinship to Lincoln, and even without any association or contact feel that Lincoln was his.”
—Edgar Lee Masters (1869–1950)
“You can’t say that civilization don’t advance ... for in every war they kill you a new way.”
—Will Rogers (1879–1935)
“The opera isn’t over till the fat lady sings.”
—Anonymous.
A modern proverb along the lines of “don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.” This form of words has no precise origin, though both Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations (16th ed., 1992)
“Nothing, neither acceptance nor prohibition, will induce a child to stop swearing overnight. Teach your child respect for himself and others, that profanity can hurt, offend, and disgust, and you’ll be doing the best you can...And save your parental giggling over mispronounced curses for after the children’s bedtime.”
—Jean Callahan (20th century)