P!nk to give away thousands of banned books at Florida tour dates
P!nk is giving away 2,000 banned books during her Florida tour dates this week in protest of censorship laws sweeping through the US.
In partnership with PEN America, a literary and free expression advocacy group, she will distribute copies of some of the books that have appeared on the organisation’s Index of Banned Books. “It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of colour,” the ‘Who Knew’ singer said in a statement shared by PEN America. “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.” Fans attending P!nk’s ‘Trustfall Tour’ dates in Florida will receive copies of ‘The Family Book’ by Todd Parr, ‘The Hill We Climb’ by Amanda Gorman and ‘Beloved’ by Toni Morrison, among others.
During an Instagram Live on 12 November, Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, thanked the star for her support. READ MORE: P!nk: “Homophobic people are missing out on a lot of fun” “This is a wave that is taking over our country, our schools, our libraries. [They] are going after books about children of colour, stories of LGBTQ families, books about babies, about animals,” she said. “This is censorship in its purest form.
It is meant to suppress narratives that we need here as a pluralistic society and so we have to push back.” Florida is believed to be the state with the highest number of book bans in effect at more than 1,400, with 33 school districts removing books in the last school year, according to PEN America.
