Asking you to step up against book bans

View this email in your browser ([link removed])
[link removed]
Dear Friend—

Today marks the start of PEN America's celebration of Banned Books Week, a national campaign in which we uplift the books, authors, teachers, and writers who tell stories and examine our history with truth, honesty, and complexity.

Divisive book bans and censorious threats are nothing new in the United States, and just last week we celebrated when a book ban targeting Black authors in particular was overturned in York, Pennsylvania. ([link removed] ) But assaults on the freedom to read, learn, and write are on the rise, and we need your help to continue fighting back in places like Leander, Texas, where books by LGBTQ+ authors and authors of color have been targeted repeatedly.

FIGHT BACK WITH US ([link removed])

Book bans aren’t going away anytime soon. Help PEN America continue this fight for the next one hundred years and more. ([link removed])

Thank you,

[link removed]


James Tager
Director of Research

Dear Friend—

This week, a school district in York, Pennsylvania rolled back a book ban that had focused almost entirely on titles by or about people of color, including Jacqueline Woodson, Ijeoma Oluo, and Ibram X. Kendi. We spoke out forcefully to support the students on the ground leading the pushback. Together, we defeated censorship. ([link removed])

While this represents a key victory in the fight against book bans, the battle is far from over. Similar efforts in Texas and elsewhere across the country are part of a sinister rise in attacks on the freedom to learn. Throughout PEN America’s long history, we’ve fought back against censorship of all kinds. Because the solution to creating a better classroom for our kids isn’t trying to cover their eyes from difficult or challenging books—even ones we disagree with.

This coming week, join us in celebrating Banned Books Week and helping PEN America continue doing this work. It’s only with your help that we can continue fighting back against book bans and championing the right to learn, read, and write. ([link removed])

Thank you,

[link removed]


Jonathan Friedman
Director, Free Expression and Education
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]

Get More News, Events, and Updates from PEN America › ([link removed])

============================================================

You are receiving this e-mail because you opted in at PEN.org or a PEN America-sponsored event.

** manage subscriptions ([link removed])
| ** unsubscribe ([link removed])
| ** contact us (mailto:[email protected])

Copyright © 2021 PEN America | 588 Broadway Suite 303, New York, NY 10012 USA