Music superstar Pink is taking a stand against book bans by handing out books that have been removed from schools and libraries at her Florida concerts this week.
She’s taking the action in partnership with PEN America, an organization supporting freedom of speech expression.
“Books have held a special joy for me from the time I was a child, and that’s why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools,” Pink said in a PEN America press release. “It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color. We have made so many strides toward equality in this country, and no one should want to see this progress reversed. This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books.”
Pink takes banned books on tour
Pink is giving away four titles that have appeared in PEN America’s Index of Banned Books: The Family Book by Todd Parr, The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman, Beloved by Toni Morrison, and a book from Girls Who Code, an organization founded by Reshma Saujani to close the gender gap in technology. She is distributing 2,000 copies of the books in total at her concerts Tuesday in Miami and Wednesday in Sunrise.
Florida overtook Texas during the last school year with more books banned in public school classrooms and libraries than any other state in the union, according to PEN America’s newly released data. Florida now accounts for more than 40 percent of all documented bans.
PEN America has tracked nearly 6,000 instances of book bans since 2021. Black and LGBTQ+ authors and books about race, racism, and LGBTQ+ identities have been disproportionately affected. PEN America has sued the Escambia County School District in Florida over book bans.
“We are thrilled to be working with P!nk on this important cause,” Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read Program, said in the release. “Every child deserves access to literature that reflects their lives. Rampant censorship is depriving kids of the chance to see themselves in books and learn about the world and its history.”
Click here for more information on how to fight book bans.
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