Pop musician Pink announced her plan to give away 2,000 banned books at her upcoming Florida concerts.
The musician teamed up with PEN America and Florida bookstore Books & Books to combat book bans, especially those targeting authors who write about race and sexual identity, according to a news release.
“Florida overtook Texas during the last school year with more books banned in public school classrooms and libraries than any other state in the union,” per newly released data, according to PEN America.
Book bans documented by the organization show that books about race, racism and LGBTQ identities are disproportionately affected, as are books by Black and LGBTQ+ authors.
In a statement, Pink said she is “unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools.”
“It’s especially hateful to see authorities take aim at books about race and racism and against LGBTQ authors and those of color. We have made so many strides toward equality in this country and no one should want to see this progress reversed. This is why I am supporting PEN America in its work and why I agree with them: no more banned books,” she said.
Pink announced the decision in an Instagram live Sunday with poet, activist and author Amanda Gorman and the CEO of PEN America, Suzanne Nossel.
The singer plans to give away four books on Tuesday in Miami and Wednesday in Sunrise as part of her 2023 Trustfall tour. The books are “The Family Book,” by Todd Parr, “The Hill We Climb,” by Gorman, “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison, and a book from the movement “Girls Who Code,” founded by Reshma Saujani.
There’s a 33 percent spike in book bans nationally, and Florida accounts for more than 40 percent of all documented ones, according to PEN America.
“While Florida is in the lead, its speech-constricting laws and policies have become a national template, helping to fuel a movement that has led to nearly 6,000 instances of book bans by PEN America’s count since 2021,” the organization said.