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Cancellation of Drag Benefit Show on Texas Campus Goes Against Norms of Free Expression

Press ReleaseMarch 21, 2023

“This cancellation is an abhorrent trampling of students’ free expression rights,"  said Kristen Shahverdian, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America. “It goes against university policy… More

Proposed New Laws Targeting TX Public Colleges Would Create a “Climate of Fear and Self-Censorship”

Press ReleaseMarch 13, 2023

“Taken together, SB 16, 17, and 18 would make Texas public higher education inhospitable for free expression,” said Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at… More

“Alarming” Proposed Florida Law Heightens Oversight of Classroom Libraries, Expands Mechanism to Challenge a Book

Press ReleaseFebruary 27, 2023

“This is an alarming piece of legislation that would make it possible for a single parent in a district to enact a ban on any book simply by challenging… More

PEN America Condemns Reported Dismissal of Teacher Who Blew the Whistle and Published Videos of Empty Florida Library Shelves

Press ReleaseFebruary 17, 2023

“Reports that the Governor's commentary may have led to the dismissal of a teacher are shocking,” said Kate Ruane, director of US Free Expression Programs at PEN America. “If… More

Closure of Exhibit on Diversity and Civil Rights at Florida College, as Some Items Are Deemed “Offensive,” Sends the Wrong Message About Higher Ed and its Values, PEN America Says

Press ReleaseFebruary 17, 2023

 (NEW YORK)– PEN America today said objections made over pieces of art in an exhibit at the State College of Florida—that led organizers to cancel it— were  “clearly political… More

Suspension of Virtual Library App by CA’s Orange Unified School District Is An Overreaction and Sets a Worrisome Precedent

Press ReleaseFebruary 2, 2023

Allison Lee, managing director of PEN America’s Los Angeles office, released the following comments: “The decision to immediately remove access to thousands of books for students due to a few… More

College Board’s Revision of AP African-American Studies Curriculum Dilutes the Course Content in Apparent Capitulation to Censors

Press ReleaseFebruary 1, 2023

Jeremy C. Young, senior manager of free expression and education at PEN America, released the following statement: "Coming in the current political climate, the proposed changes appear to be an… More

Proposed Texas Law Would Force Publishers to Create ‘Age Appropriate’ Ratings for School Library Books

Press ReleaseNovember 16, 2022

“This is a dangerous escalation in the movement to censor public education. In a very short time, those who advocate for school censorship have gone from trying to control… More

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  • What's New
PEN America Speaks: How We Defended and Celebrated Free Expression This Week
PEN America/PEN International: Chinese Authorities Should Immediately Release Blogger Sentenced to 7 Years in Prison
PEN America, With Other Free Speech Organizations, Sends Letter to Congress Opposing Proposed National TikTok Ban
Letter to Congress Opposing Federal Law to Impose a Ban on TikTok

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penamerica PEN America @penamerica ·
2h

Nadine Farid Johnson testified before a congressional subcommittee... PEN America and its partners hosted a #LetFloridaRead event... CEO @SuzanneNossel and Ted Mitchell, CEO of the @ACEducation wrote an op-ed in defense of academic freedom... and more: https://pen.org/pen-america-news/

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penamerica PEN America @penamerica ·
24 Mar

As @JoyVBehar points out, Americans' knowledge of the Holocaust is declining even as the movement to ban books—including #Holocaust-themed works such as @jodipicoult's The Storyteller—is accelerating.

Behar also gives a shoutout to 100-year-old Grace Linn! #JoysBannedBookClub https://twitter.com/TheView/status/1639315584860192772

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jeremycyoung Jeremy C. Young @jeremycyoung ·
16h

Outstanding piece by @andreacgore, Vacek Chair in pharmacology/professor of psychology at UT-Austin, defending faculty tenure against SB 18. She argues that immunotherapy would not exist if UT-Austin had not given tenure to its discoverer. https://www.houstonchronicle.com/opinion/outlook/article/university-texas-andrea-gore-professor-tenure-17816783.php

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