UNIFIED VOICES SUMMIT: Protecting Educational Freedom in Florida

Florida now ranks first in the nation, banning more books in public school classrooms and libraries than any other state. Teachers and media specialists are being threatened with loss of their careers and liberty, under threat of criminal prosecution. Florida laws have created the greatest crisis of book banning and educational censorship in K-12 public schools ever seen. Books about race and by authors of color, along with books mentioning sexual orientation and gender, are being ripped from shelves. Students are being robbed of the diversity of ideas and perspectives they need to thrive.

But all is not lost. Florida will not go quietly into the dark night of censorship. This wave of censorship and denial of free speech is making Floridians stronger and more resilient. Across the state, local groups are organizing, mobilizing resistance, and protecting our constitutional rights and public education. There is a movement in Florida and we need you. We must work collectively to protect our teachers, our students, and our public education system.

In that spirit, we are coming together for the first annual Unified Voices Summit: Protecting Educational Freedom in Florida to celebrate our educators, protect public education, and speak out in one voice to defend our rights of free speech and free expression. We will unite to end education censorship and book bans, and to support our teachers, public education and our core constitutional liberties. The Summit is brought to you by a nonpartisan coalition of organizations, including PEN America, National Coalition Against Censorship, Florida Freedom to Read Project, Interfaith Alliance, and PRISM.

We will convene in Orlando, Florida on July 12-13th, 2024. General admission tickets are available for $250 and include access to both Friday evening’s authors’ reception, the Saturday all-day conference, and childcare during the Saturday summit. All teachers and media specialists will receive a scholarship covering the Summit ticket and hotel (use promo code EDUCATOR). Parents, students, active military, nonprofit workers, and grassroots organizations/organizers will receive a 50% discount for the general admission ticket (use promo code ADVOCATE50).

Host or Publisher PEN America