<
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pink-give-out-banned-books-florida-shows-1234876749/>
"Pink announced Monday she plans to hand out 2,000 banned books during her four
concert dates in Florida. “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,” she said in a press release.
The three-time Grammy-winning singer announced her collaboration with the
national free speech organization PEN America during an Instagram Live with
Amanda Gorman, the youngest inaugural poet in the U.S. Pink will also work with
bookseller Books & Books to distribute four books from PEN America’s Index of
Banned Books: Todd Parr’s “The Family Book,” Gorman’s “The Hill We Climb,” Toni
Morrison’s “Beloved,” and Stacia Deutsch’s “Girls Who Code.”
Florida leads the country in book bans. In a study during the 2022 to 2023
school year, PEN America recorded more than 3,300 book bans across the U.S., a
33% jump from the previous school year. Of those books, 40% of the bans occur
in Florida school districts, with 1,406 books off the shelf. Texas placed
second with 625 bans. Book bans most often target female authors, LGBTQ
authors, and authors of color. For example, the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, backed by
Florida governor and presidential candidate Ron Desantis, prohibits K-12
teachers from discussing sexuality and gender identity in schools.
“It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and
racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color,” Pink added in her
statement."
Via V. T. Eric Layton, who wrote "Excellent! I love this woman!"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
