Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Pink is teaming up with PEN America to distribute 2,000 banned books at two upcoming shows in Florida.
According to a press release shared with The FADER, the pop star will be giving away four titles that have appeared on the nonprofit's Index of Banned Books, including Todd Parr's The Family Book, Toni Morrison's Pulitzer-winning Beloved, a book by Girls Who Code founder Reshma Saujani, and The Hill We Climb by first National Youth Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman. The books will be available at her concerts in Miami and Sunrise, Florida on November 14 and 15.
Since 2022, book bans in U.S. schools have increased by 33%, bringing the total number of titles up to 3,300. 40% of the bans are limited to Florida, where more than 1,400 books have been taken off shelves, many of which are written by women, LGBTQ+, or POC authors and tackle issues related to inequity and discrimination.
“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 statement. “It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color."
She added, "We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed."
Meanwhile, Kasey Meehan, director of PEN America’s Freedom to Read Program, said that the organization was "thrilled" to be working with Pink and Florida bookseller Books & Books "on this important cause."
"Every child deserves access to literature that reflects their lives," Meehan explained. "Rampant censorship is depriving kids of the chance to see themselves in books and learn about the world and its history.”
