We must seek courage, not comfort

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Dear Friend—

When I consider PEN America’s ever-resonant motto, the freedom to write, I’m reminded that liberation, literacy, and the freedom to learn are inextricably intertwined.
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The freedom to learn is particularly imperiled now, as legislators across the country continue to pass laws restricting what teachers can say and what students can access. As I said at PEN America’s gala this fall, where I was awarded the 2021 PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, teachers, students, readers, and writers alike must be able to engage freely with subjects of their choice. This is not only the essence of learning; it is the essence of being human.

These are difficult times, Friend. But there’s work to be done. ([link removed]) And PEN America is prepared to do that work, to ensure that our hard-won literary freedoms are not only protected, but that they also thrive.

Please give whatever you can. The freedom to write depends upon it. ([link removed])

Thank you,

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Henry Louis Gates Jr.
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