PEN America on book banning: ‘We’re supposed to be a country that espouses freedom of expression’

Freedom of expression is a cherished right in the United States that is coming increasingly under attack at an alarming rate as conservative groups target schools and books to censor topics ranging from racism, LGBTQ+, sexuality and sexual violence. PEN America, an non-profit organisation that defends freedom of expression and human rights in the US and around the world, “has documented nearly 16,000 book bans in public schools nationwide since 2021, a number not seen since the Red Scare McCarthy era of the 1950s.” FRANCE 24’s Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Sabrina Baeta, author, poet and Senior Program Manager for the Freedom to Read programme at PEN American.