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Dear Friend,
PEN America was founded 100 years ago by writers to defend free speech and open discourse. Amid the wreckage of world war, those whose lifeblood was the imagination took it upon themselves to transcend despair and lift up the wider society to do the same. There was no returning to a pre-war idyll; no roadmap for what might replace it. Only a stark imperative to uphold principle, rally others, invent new methods and hold fast to treasured values.
At a time when our freedoms have come under threat, raising questions about the vitality of American democracy, together we have drawn strength from those who endured harrowing times, the way ahead lighted only by the flame of ideals.
With your support, PEN America has fought ardently for the underpinnings of democracy:
- because a polity drowning in disinformation cannot successfully self-rule, we work with journalists, newsrooms community leaders and experts to shore up our information ecosystem;
- because schools and universities choked by book bans and curriculum gag orders cannot cultivate an open-minded citizenry, we have led the fight against censorship in the classroom;
- because leaders who traffic in lies betray the premise of government for the people, we stand for truth and facts;
- because unchecked racial, ethnic, religious and other hatreds, whether overt or veiled, can unleash humanity's worst instincts, we have mobilized against online abuse, and alongside those whose voices are still not fully heard.
The churning tides of our politics defy prediction. No matter what lies ahead we will sustain the will to fight, defend, propound and insist upon what is right. We will never give in to cynicism, equivocation, or exhaustion. We will work with people across the spectrum who share our faith in free speech as the bedrock of a flourishing society.
In the wake of World War I, PEN America's architects stood up for free speech and to promote the vision "of one humanity living in peace and equality." Thanks to them, today we have an institution ready and able to drive forward this charge at a time of renewed urgency, unmatched challenge and unprecedented opportunity.
This morning we muster for a new phase, imbued with determination and hope. We would not be here without your support.
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 With thanks,
Suzanne Nossel
CEO
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