Tennessee book ban opponents to receive Courage Award at PEN America gala

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NEW YORK (AP) — A coalition of Tennessee activists who have become known nationwide for fighting book bans will be honored by PEN America next month at its annual gala.

The literary and free expression organization announced Wednesday that the Rutherford County Library Alliance, based in Murfreesboro, will be presented the PEN/Benenson Courage Awards on May 14. The alliance was formed in response to a local “decency ordinance” passed in 2023 that sought to maintain “family-friendly environments in public places” and protect “against harm to minors.”

The ordinance was pulled after the city settled a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and others over the alleged suppression of free speech. But censorship efforts have continued. The Rutherford County Library Board voted in March to move more than 100 LGBTQ-themed books from the children’s section to the adult area for allegedly promoting “gender confusion.”

Alliance Vice President Keri Lambert and communications director Tatiana Silvas will accept the prize on behalf of their organization. Previous recipients include Salman Rushdie, Wesleyan University President Michael S. Roth and Florida student activist Jack Petocz.

“This award recognizes the courage of people who stepped forward when it mattered most, as the freedom to read came under attack in their own communities,” Clarisse Rosaz Shariyf, PEN America’s co-CEO, said in a statement. “Keri Lambert and Tatiana Silvas organized their neighbors, spoke out in the face of intimidation, and defended books even as those efforts carried grim consequences, including the firing of a library director who believed in fair access to books.”

The PEN event will be held at the American Museum of Natural History, with other honorees including author Ann Patchett and film producer Jason Blum.