In concert in Florida, singer P!nk distributes books censored by the state to her audience

For once, the American singer P!nk highlighted her commitments during two of her concerts on November 14 and 15 in Miami and at Sunrise in Florida. She took advantage of her time in the ultra-conservative state to distribute several thousand censored books to her public. A bold initiative launched in partnership with PEN America, the association fighting for freedom of expression.

Beloved de Toni Morrison, A Game of Thrones de George R. R. Martin, Dune by Frank Herbert, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood or The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier… All these great classics of American literature have been banned from school libraries since 2021 in Florida. In question ? Some of these texts raise the issue of race and racism, others are written by people from the LGBT+ community, talk about sex or the issue of gender. In total, 300 books were removed from the school curriculum, details PEN America in a press release.

A literature lover and mother of a little girl, the American singer wanted to get involved in the fight against this censorship. So, to mark the occasion, she decided to distribute 2,000 copies of these books to her audience.

“Very happy to have started this discussion on censorship and banning books,” she confided on her X account (formerly Twitter). I will distribute more books tonight [ndlr : en parlant du concert du 15 novembre]. I will continue to speak on this subject. Conservatives are fine talking about my personal life since they don’t have much else to talk about. Have a nice day, free from thoughts. Read censored books!”

“It is particularly abhorrent to see authorities targeting books about race and racism, as well as LGBTQ authors and people of color.”she added in le live Instagram on November 12 organized alongside Suzanne Nossel, CEO of PEN America, and poet Amanda Gorman. “We have made so much progress toward equality in this country and no one should want to see that progress reversed”

For its part, the PEN America association said it was “delighted” to collaborate with the singer on this initiative. “Every child has the right to have access to literature that reflects their life. Widespread censorship prevents children from seeing themselves in books and learning more about the world and its history”recalled the organization in a statement.