Pink will notably distribute books banned in Florida, which is the state that bans the most books, with more than 1,400 titles removed from the shelves.
Pink announced plans to distribute 2,000 banned books at her four concerts in Florida on Monday. “ Books have given me special joy since my childhood, and that is why I do not want to stand idly by while books are banned in schools “, she said in a press release.
The singer announced her collaboration with national free speech organization PEN America during an Instagram Live with Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to attend a U.S. presidential inauguration. Pink will also work with bookseller Books & Books to distribute four books from PEN America’s Banned Books Index: The Family Book by Todd Parr, The Hill We Climb by Gorman, Beloved by Toni Morrison and Girls Who Code by Stacia Deutsch.
Florida is the American state that bans the most books. In a study conducted during the 2022-2023 school year, PEN America recorded more than 3,300 book bans across the United States, a 33% increase from the previous school year. Of these books, 40% of the bans occur in Florida school districts, with 1,406 books removed from shelves. Texas comes in second with 625 bans. Book bans most often target LGBTQ authors and writers of color.
“ It is particularly abhorrent to see authorities targeting books dealing with race and racism, as well as LGBTQ authors and people of color “Pink added in his statement.
The pop singer performs in Miami and Sunrise, Fla., on November 13 and 14, as well as in Orlando on November 18 and 19 to close out her tour Trustfall. She will distribute books on the list of banned books in Florida at each performance.
“ We’ve made so much progress toward equality in this country and no one should want to see that progress undone. », Estimated Pink.
