Online Course: Anti-Fat Bias & Mitigation
Price
Five-week course with weekly live Zoom small groups, each Wednesday starting January 21, 2026.
This course is crafted for anyone working with multiply-marginalized clients, this five week course provides real world application of intersectional theory. Learn about the historical roots and modern-day impact of anti-fat bias (AKA fatphobia), and how to use that information to improve client relationships and craft impactful mitigation.
Dates: January 21 -February 18, 2026
Weekly 70-minute live Zoom small groups – Each Wednesday 7:00 pm – 8:10 pm Eastern / 4:00 pm – 5:10 pm Pacific starting January 21, 2026
Registration Deadline January 12, 2026
Price: $300 NAPD Members / $400 Non Members You will continue to have access to the entire course for three months after the completion of the small group sessions. If the course does not meet the minimum required registrants it may be cancelled or postponed.
What to Expect
On Demand Learning
Each week, you’ll gain access to articles, videos, and educational materials through our learning platform. Review them at your own pace to inspire and challenge yourself between live classes.
Facilitated Small Group Workshops
Attend a 70-minute Zoom based workshop each week for five weeks, led by experienced Mitigation Specialist Savannah Weinstock. Through structured presentations, collaborative group discussions, and exploration of contemporary issues faced by the fat community today, you’ll dive into this exciting topic in a safe space.
Topics Covered
- Explore and define anti-fat bias, taking into account its historical roots and modern day impact
- Highlight the harm encountered by fat folks at the intersection of anti-fat bias and other marginalizations
- Analyze how public defense clients may be particularly at risk of anti-fat bias
- Learn how to incorporate the topic of anti-fat bias into defense mitigation
- Learn and feel confident using accurate, client-centered language surrounding this topic while speaking to and about fat clients
Who Should Attend
This course is for anyone in public defense who wants to incorporate intersectionality into their practice, whether that means written mitigation reports, oral arguments at sentencing, or within client relationships. You will come away from this course with extensive knowledge of academic/scientific research and how to use it, the ability to interact more effectively with fat clients, and insight into the fat experience.
Small Group Facilitator
Savannah Weinstock is a Midwest native whose education brought her first to Portland, OR and then to Boston, MA before coming home to join the Milwaukee Trial Office of the Wisconsin State Public Defender as a Mitigation Specialist (CSS) in 2021. She has a professional background in domestic violence counseling, journalism, and advocacy. She has presented at national conferences on Anti-Fat Bias and Mitigation, including the NAPD Women’s Conference and the Social Work and Law National Symposium. She has run statewide trainings on gender identity, working as a Defense team, and forming community connections. She is certified to train other trainers on the use of Narcan and harm-reduction techniques. She is also a member of the Vital Strategies Drug Checking Policy Committee and the NAPD Education Advisory Committee. She is a staunch supporter of prison abolition, antiracism, disability justice, and radical fat activism. She is a proud member of the LGBTQIA+ community and the parent of five dogs, which she swears isn’t as crazy as it sounds.