New Reports: California and Florida Push the Nation in Opposing Directions on Free Expression
Katie Blankenship, a former ACLU of Florida litigator who this month became PEN America’s inaugural director in the state, said: “Gov. DeSantis and the legislature have launched a legislative… More
PEN America Names Katie Blankenship to New Position as Florida Director
“Katie is the proven leader and advocate we need to expand our effort to protect the freedoms to read and learn in Florida,” said PEN America CEO Suzanne Nossel.… More
New Report: Legislatures Introduce 110 Educational Gag Orders in 2023
“Censorship advocates have spent years trying to sabotage the teaching of ideas they don't like, and imposing their own views on our nation's students,” said PEN America’s Jeremy C.… More
Citing Grave Free Speech Concerns, PEN America Rejects Florida Campus Ban on Students for Justice in Palestine
Jonathan Friedman, director of Free Expression and Education Programs, issued the following statement: "This policy is part of a pattern from the Florida government, ready to cast aside free speech… More
PEN America: What’s at Stake in Book Banning Movement Is ‘Traditions of Freedom and Democracy for Us All’
PEN America's Jonathan Friedman testified that what's at stake in book ban movement is "Whether we can live in a diverse society that upholds our traditions of freedom and… More
Amid Crisis of School Book Bans, Banned Books Week Arrives Oct. 1 with Urgency to Defend the Freedom to Read
LINK to the PEN America Banned Books Week actions and events (NEW YORK)— With school book bans surging 33 percent over the past school year, this year’s Banned Books Week Oct.… More
PEN America Proudly Supports Introduction of Congressional Resolutions Condemning Book Bans and Educational Censorship
PEN America endorsed the resolution and praised the lawmakers’ commitment to preserving free expression in classrooms and libraries. More
In Christian Evangelical Web Designer Case, PEN America Voices Concern that Supreme Court Ruling Overlooks Risk of Legitimizing Unlawful Discrimination in the Name of Religious Freedom
"As a free expression organization, PEN America stands against efforts to censor speakers on the basis of viewpoint or to compel speech. When a business entity offering a public… More
PEN America Legal Filing Argues that Florida’s Stop WOKE Act is Unconstitutional
“Florida’s ‘Stop W.O.K.E.’ Act impedes the robust exchange of ideas that is foundational to our education system and our democracy,” said Kate Ruane, Sy Syms director of the U.S.… More