Singer Pink has decided to give away 2,000 banned books at her South Florida shows this week in partnership with the literary and free expression advocacy group PEN America.
Fans who attend the Miami and Sunrise, Florida, stops of the singer-songwriter’s “Trustfall Tour” Tuesday and Wednesday will receive a copy of some of the books that have appeared on PEN America’s Index of Banned Books.
“I’m a voracious reader, and I’m a mom of two kids who are also voracious readers,” Pink said during a livestream on Instagram on Sunday. “And I can’t imagine my own parents telling me what my kids can and cannot read, let alone someone else’s parents, let alone someone else that doesn’t even have children that are deciding what my children can read.”
Fans will receive copies of “The Family Book” by Todd Parr, “The Hill We Climb” by Amanda Gorman, “Beloved” by Toni Morrison, or one of the books from the “Girls Who Code” series by the nonprofit that shares the same name.
The singer said she decided to join PEN America and local bookstore, Books & Books, to give away books because she wanted to highlight the rising wave of book bans in Florida.
“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,” Pink said in a statement shared by PEN America.
