Student Disruption of a Judge’s Speech at Stanford U Deserved a Forceful Defense of Free Speech by the Administration, Says PEN America
“When a speaker has been invited to campus, they deserve the ability to speak and be heard, said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager in free expression and education. “Students have… More
Open Letter to the President of East Tennessee State University
We write to share our concerns for the First Amendment rights of members of the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) men’s basketball team. More
Free Speech 2020: An Interview with Nupol Kiazolu, President of Black Lives Matter Greater NY
“I just really want people—young people all around the world—to know that your voice is powerful, your voice holds weight, and your voice can change the world.” More
Joint Statement in Support of Student Rights to Free Speech in Schools
In response to the student arrested for refusing to say the Pledge of Allegiance in protest, PEN America stands in support of student free speech rights. More
DARE: How to Counter Donald Trump’s War on the Media
Journalists counter President Trump's anti-press epithet "enemy of the people" with examination of the tyrants who have also used this phrase. More
DARE: Roaring Protests of Commencements Past Make Way for a More Subdued Stand
Multiple accounts emerge of colleges and universities choosing commencement speakers based on hopes that their appearance and speeches will provoke fewer, or more subdued, protests. Comedian Samantha Bee apologizes… More
DARE: ‘Bigger than Watergate’: Trump Joins Push by Allies to Expose Role of an FBI Source
White House allies wage campaign to discredit Russia investigation on first anniversary of Robert Mueller III’s appointment as special counsel. Trump uses "animals" in discussion of immigrants, and debate… More
2018 PEN/Toni and James C. Goodale Freedom of Expression Courage Award: Cameron Kasky, Samantha Fuentes, and Zion Kelly
As part of their campaign, Kasky, Fuentes, and Kelly have forthrightly confronted the outsized impact of gun violence in black, Latino, and poor communities and the hurdles confronting communities… More
DARE: National School Walkout: Thousands Protest Against Gun Violence Across the U.S.
Schoolchildren across the country mount unprecedented coordinated protest to demand gun control. In defending against Trump libel suit over Steele dossier, Buzzfeed takes steps to provide Trump accuser Stormy… More
DARE: 11 of the Most Dramatic Moments in a Day of Confrontation Over Guns
Families and friends of Parkland victims mince no words in confronting the President, politicians, and the NRA on gun control at forums, the Florida State House, and in the… More
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"Amy was busy at her job in the outskirts of St. Louis, Missouri, when the officer strode through her open doorway... Someone had called the police department and reported that she had been giving pornography to children, a criminal offense in Missouri." https://www.codastory.com/rewriting-history/missouri-libraries-book-ban/
Thank you @pen_southafrica for standing in solidarity with Chinese poet Zhang Guiqi and paying tribute to him on the Empty Chair Podcast.
We continue to call with @pen_int and @chinesepen_org for his release from prison. He is serving a six-year sentence on trumped-up charges.
"I don't even know what I'm not seeing anymore." @mattdpearce