Pink set to give away a few banned books at upcoming concerts in Florida amid a 33% spike in book bans
“It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color,” Pink said
Singer Pink has planned to give away thousands of banned books at her future concerts in Florida, the non-profit PEN America has announced. The 44-year-old has teamed up with the free expression advocacy organisation to carry out the initiative.
Pink will start distributing the books as she takes her TRUST FALL Tour to Miami, and Sunrise, Florida, this week. The books Pink will be giving away include themes of racial and sexual identity, including the picture book The Family Book by Todd Parr, a book from the Girls Who Code series, the novel Beloved by Toni Morrison and Amanda Gorman’s poetry book The Hill We Climb.
“As a mother of two who is deeply invested in education and in representation for all races and sexual identities, P!nk wanted to give away banned books to highlight the spike in book bans in Florida and across the country documented by PEN America,”PEN America said in an online statement.
The organisation quoted Pink as saying, “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. 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 announced the collaboration and opened up about the initiative in an Instagram live with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel and New York Times #1 bestselling author Amanda Gorman.
In recent years, Florida has implemented some laws that limit free speech in education. Among them is the Individual Freedom Act. Passed in 2022, it limits the way systemic racism and discrimination is taught in schools and the workplace. A legislation signed by Governor Ron DeSantis last year also limits schools from discussing LGBTQ+ topics with students. It is colloquially referred to as the ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bill
“Amid a 33% spike in book bans nationally, Florida now ranks first in the nation and accounts for more than 40% of all documented bans,” PEN America said.
“PEN America has been at the forefront of documenting and defending against the unprecedented rise of school book bans nationwide. Depriving students of exemplary literary works flies in the face of basic constitutional freedoms and PEN America is suing Escambia County, Florida, over its book bans,” it added.