Global pop icon P!nk is making one message loud and clear during the Florida performances of her 2023 Trustfall Tour: "no more banned books."
The singer-songwriter announced Monday she teamed up with the free expression organization PEN America and Florida bookseller Books & Books to give away 2,000 banned books at her concerts in the Sunshine State.
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“Books have held a special joy for me from the time I was a child, and that’s why I am unwilling to stand by and watch while books are banned by schools,” P!nk said in a news release. “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."
Stacks of books greeted concertgoers at the Kaseya Center for P!nk's show in Miami Tuesday night. She will also perform in Sunrise on Wednesday as part of her tour.
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"Book banning is not neutral," said Kasey Meehan of PEN America. "We really want to see an end to remove access to diverse and inclusive literature for students in public schools."
During her concerts, P!nk will give away four books that have appeared in PEN America’s Index of Banned Books: “The Family Book,” by Todd Parr, “The Hill We Climb,” by Amanda Gorman, “Beloved,” by Toni Morrison, and a book from “Girls Who Code,” founded by Reshma Saujani.
The singer announced the collaboration in an Instagram live Monday with PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel and New York Times bestselling author Amanda Gorman.
Earlier this year, Florida's education department quietly released a list of roughly 300 books that were removed from shelves across the state's school districts in 2022.
According to the list, which includes many titles with LGBTQ themes or characters, South Florida is among the areas with the least book removals.
Despite objections, no books were removed in Miami-Dade County. Monroe and Palm Beach also had zero books removed. The only county in South Florida with removed books was Broward County with three titles.
It's a move that Broward County’s Libraries Director Allison Grubbs spoke out against.
“I felt sadness at seeing the list, it’s a tangible list of censorship efforts that have been successful throughout the state often by a very small group of individuals who are leading the charge,” said Grubbs.
Overall, roughly 300 books were removed from Florida’s public school libraries. For the full list, click here.
For more information on the singer's efforts to fight Florida's book ban, click here.
