Banned in the USA: The Growing Movement to Censor Books in Schools
“More” is the operative word for this report on school book bans, which offers the first comprehensive look at bans throughout the 2021–22 school year. More
Letter to the Burbank Unified School District
PEN America urges the Burbank Unified School District to rescind its policy which prohibits any instructional materials with the "N-word'' from being used as mandatory reading. More
5 Myths about Educational Gag Orders
The legislators behind these gag orders are not interested in a productive back-and-forth with educators; what they want is simply to dictate the terms of teachers’ surrender. More
For Educational Gag Orders, The Vagueness Is The Point
We find that instead of clarifying the laws, guidance documents have muddied the waters, further eroding academic freedom and students’ right to learn. More
Conservatives Oppose Educational Gag Orders, Too
Casual observers of the recent wave of educational gag orders could be forgiven for thinking that views on this issue are perfectly polarized along ideological lines. Conservatives support these… More
Educational Gag Orders Seek to Enforce Compulsory Patriotism
Three New Bills Become Law in Florida, Mississippi, and South Dakota Monthly Roundup, March This post is part of a series from PEN America tracking the progress of educational gag orders… More
Educational Gag Orders Target Speech about LGBTQ+ Identities With New Prohibitions and Punishments
The effort to censor anti-LGBTQ identities in the classroom is expanding rapidly. More
In Higher Education, New Educational Gag Orders Would Exert Unprecedented Control Over College Teaching
In 2022, educational gag orders are being aimed squarely at colleges and universities to exert ideological control over what is being taught and read in classrooms. More
Steep Rise in Gag Orders, Many Sloppily Drafted
Over the last three weeks, 65 bills have been formally introduced in state legislatures across the country, a rate of roughly three bills per day. More
Open Letter to the School Board of the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District
PEN America urges the Placentia-Yorba Linda Unified School District not to pass the “Resolution Opposing the Teaching of Critical Race Theory.” More
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⚡️This year’s Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to jailed Belarus human rights activist, member of PEN Belarus Ales Bialiatski https://twitter.com/NobelPrize/status/1578309539870318603
Human rights lawyer & #FreedomToWrite honoree Nasrin Sotoudeh’s daughter was just banned from leaving #Iran. Writing on Facebook, Sotoudeh reflects on the murders of #MahsaAmini & #NikaShakrami, widespread violence against protestors, and speaking against injustice at every step.
Watch PEN America Washington director Nadine Farid Johnson talk about book bans tonight at 8 PM ET on @wbgutv #BannedBooks #BannedInTheUSA https://youtu.be/ovOHi1yO84g