Seattle, September 19, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian American Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal urged readers to stand against censorship by continuing to read challenged books, support silenced writers and defend the free exchange of ideas, as she addressed the Jaipur Literature Festival’s third edition in Seattle.
Speaking at the opening of the festival at the Seattle Public Library, Jayapal described reading as a powerful form of peaceful resistance.
“In my mind, to read is the ultimate act of nonviolent resistance,” she said.
Jayapal linked the celebration of literature with what she described as growing restrictions on speech, dissent and democratic debate in the US and elsewhere. She also criticised the US President over an announcement that, according to her, would bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
She cited book restrictions in the US involving works including Toni Morrison’s The Bluest Eye, The Kite Runner, Milk and Honey and The God of Small Things, arguing that such measures threatened fundamental freedoms.
“And we intend to do everything in our power to reclaim our democracy and to refuse to allow our fundamental rights to be shut down,” Jayapal said.
Alongside voting and community organising, she encouraged people to read widely, share their experiences and engage with stories written by those whose voices were being suppressed.
“It critiques powerful institutions and it expands the boundaries of our dialogue and our thinking,” she said of literature. “It refuses to let anyone muzzle our imagination so that we can truly begin to share ourselves and our journey forward.”
Jayapal described the festival as a space for exchanging ideas amid concerns over hostility towards Asian Americans, international conflicts and restrictions on civil liberties. She welcomed its expansion from India to countries including the US, Britain, Spain, the Maldives and Australia, saying it had helped Indian and South Asian authors, filmmakers and artists reach wider audiences.
The occasion also had a personal significance for Jayapal. She recalled arriving in the US alone at the age of 16, saying her parents believed the country would give her opportunities and the freedom to be herself. She became a US citizen 17 years after arriving.
She later returned to India and spent two years living in villages, an experience that helped her explore her relationship with her birthplace and her identity. It became the basis for her first book, Pilgrimage to India: A Woman Revisits Her Homeland, published by Seattle’s Seal Press and later by Penguin India.
Jayapal also discussed her book Use the Power You Have: A Brown Woman’s Guide to Politics and Political Change, saying she hoped it would encourage women to recognise and exercise their own influence.
She thanked the festival organisers, readers and the Seattle Public Library, while highlighting Seattle’s independent bookshops, small presses and writing community as important parts of the city’s literary culture.
Jayapal was the first Indian American woman elected to the US House of Representatives. At the Seattle gathering, she reflected on her migration, return to India and writing alongside her public life.
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