Amber Ruffin stood before a crowd of hundreds—writers, publishers, and editors—gathered for PEN America’s annual gala, where she recounted her own brush with censorship.
“I’m technically a banned book now,” she quipped, alluding to her being dropped as a speaker for April’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner. “They invited me, then uninvited me.”
The event, held Thursday night at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, served both as a protest against the silencing of voices and a celebration of the freedom to speak freely.
Ruffin hosted the evening’s fundraiser, which honored several figures including actor, publisher, and book lover Sarah Jessica Parker; Egyptian poet and activist Galal El-Behairy, currently imprisoned; Wesleyan University President Michael Roth; and Macmillan CEO Jon Yaged.
One of the biggest ovations was for a non-speaker, Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who during a White House meeting in February challenged President Donald Trump over her support for transgender athletes, When Trump suspended funds for a Maine child nutrition program, Mills sued in federal court and prevailed.
PEN America, the century-old free speech organization, brought in Ruffin to host soon after the WHCA withdrew its invitation, contending it wanted to focus on the achievements of journalism. Ruffin is a blunt and sometimes profane critic of Trump and duly went after him Thursday, calling him “gross,” “incompetent,” “racist” and “sexually deviant.” She also praised PEN for the chance to speak out.
“Thank you to PEN America for asking me to host and more importantly, thank you, PEN America, for Googling me at least once before asking me to host,” she said. “I’m looking at you, White House Correspondents Association.”
Parker was presented the PEN/Audible Literary Service Award, given in previous years to Patti Smith, Robert Caro and Stephen Sondheim among others.
French actor banned from Cannes red carpet amid rape allegations
Parker has been a longtime champion of books and literacy and runs the publishing imprint SJP Lit, where authors include Lucy Caldwell, Linda Grant and Elysha Chang. At the Sundance Film Festival in January, she premiered a documentary film for which she served as executive producer, “The Librarians,” about the fight against book bans.
“To censor a book is to limit imagination, curiosity, connection, empathy and inspiration,” Parker said during her acceptance speech. “Libraries aren’t just buildings with shelves. They are a beacon. They are warm in the winter and cool in summer, and they are sanctuaries of possibility. They are a heartbeat of the neighborhood.”
El-Behairy, who has been imprisoned off and on since 2018 on charges of terrorism and “spreading false news,” won the PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award, given to dissidents who have been jailed. The prize was accepted by his sister, Naiera, and father, Abdelfattah, who noted his son “paid the price for his opposition with the best years of his life wasted in prison.”
Taye Diggs presented the Business Visionary award to Yaged and joked that he liked the Macmillan executive because he didn’t publish his children’s books just because Diggs was an extremely handsome and successful Black actor.
Wesleyan President Michael S. Roth, a leading critic of Trump’s threats to cancel research funding at Columbia University and other schools, won the PEN/Benenson Courage Award. During a speech that was loudly cheered, he remembered a happy, outspoken and admittedly privileged childhood during which threats to democracy were rarely considered.
“We are going to have to draw on love and support if we are to resist the slide towards authoritarianism that has gathered momentum across the land,” Roth said.