Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

100-Year-Old Widow Of Fallen WWII Soldier Speaks Out Against Book Bans At Florida School Board Meeting

100-Year-Old Widow Of Fallen WWII Soldier Speaks Out Against Book Bans At Florida School Board Meeting
@NikkiFried/Twitter

Grace Linn cited her husband's fight against Nazis during powerful speech against Florida county's book bans.

A book ban controversy in Florida sparked a heated debate at the Martin County School Board meeting on Tuesday night. Former educators, students, and parents spoke in favor of and against the ban. The controversy arose after the school district removed several books from its library shelves, citing concerns over their content.

While some residents supported the ban, others were strongly opposed, including Grace Linn, a Martin County resident who brought with her 100 years of experience. To show her opposition to the book ban, she made a quilt and brought it with her to the meeting, displaying books that have been either targeted or banned.


Linn cited her late husband's fight against the Nazis in World War II during a powerful speech in which she railed against banning books as a threat to the freedom her husband fought for.

You can hear what Linn said in the video below.

Linn said:

"I am Grace Linn. I am 100 years young. I'm here to protest our schools' district book-banning policy."
"My husband, Robert Nickel, was killed in action in World War II—at a very young age, he was only 26—defending our democracy, Constitution, and freedoms."
"One of the freedoms that the Nazis crushed was the freedom to read the books they'd banned. They stopped the free press, banned and burned books. The freedom to read, which is protected by First Amendment, is our essential right and duty of our democracy."
"Even so, it is continually under attack by both the public and private groups who think they hold the truth."

Linn then showcased the quilt she made displaying books that have been either targeted or banned:

"In response to the book banning across our country and Martin County last year, during the time I was 99, I created this quilt to remind all of us that these few of so many more books that are banned or targeted need to be proudly displayed and protected—and read if you choose to."
"The quilt was shown on national TV as part of [journalist] Ali Velshi 'Banned Book Club' segment. Banning books and burning books are the same. Both are done for the same reason: fear of knowledge."
"Fear is not freedom. Fear is not liberty. Fear is control."
"My husband died as a father of freedom; I am a mother of liberty. Banned books need to be proudly displayed and protected from school boards like this."

Many praised Linn for speaking out.



Linn's fear is that as books are taken off the shelves, the life lessons they possess are taken along with them. She believes that banning books and burning books are done for the same reason, the "fear of knowledge," and reiterated those points in an interview with local station WPTV.

She said:

"One of the freedoms that the Nazis crushed was the freedom to read the books that they banned."
"History will repeat itself if you don't know history. History needs to be told, and everyone needs to know what went on in the past."

Several residents who spoke at the meeting expressed a need to form a committee to reevaluate and reconsider books by a more diverse group of people.

The controversy over the book ban highlights the importance of ensuring that our freedoms and values are upheld, particularly in education, where the exchange of ideas and information is critical to shaping the minds of future generations. As Linn reminds us, history must be told, and everyone must know what went on in the past to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future.

More from Trending

Screenshots from @angelicapueblas's TikTok videos
@angelicapueblas1/TikTok

School Sparks Debate After Limiting Graduation Crowd To A Single Clap Per Student

When families are preparing to attend their child's graduation ceremony, choir concert, or some other school program, many parents will brace themselves for the long hours and awkward moments.

But if the families at TikToker @angelicapueblas1's school had known what was coming, they probably would have preferred all of those things over what they got at their young students' school graduation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshots from @david.scott.203's TikTok video
@david.scott.203/TikTok

Mom-To-Be Sparks Heated Debate After Delaying Flight With Elaborate Pregnancy Announcement

We might all be able to agree that the prospect of having a baby can be an exciting thing, and making a pregnancy announcement is something to celebrate over—but is the announcement always worth the wait?

That was the question TikTokers were left asking after TikToker @david.scott.203 posted a video of a pregnancy announcement that might have gone on for a little too long.

Keep ReadingShow less
Allison Williams; Kelly Clarkson
The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube

Kelly Clarkson Hilariously Reacts After Getting Called Out For Glancing At Allison Williams' Forehead Botox

New podcasts are popping up all over the place, and some are definitely more important and life-affirming than others. While visiting the Kelly Clarkson Show, Allison Williams opened up to Clarkson around her recent projects, including starting a podcast and why it was so important to her.

While pregnant, M3GAN's Williams noted that she and her friends became a "lifeline [and a] landline" for each other, and she realized that she could offer a similar experience for listeners.

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Cera; Tom Cruise
Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images; Manuel Velasquez/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures

Michael Cera Hilariously Reveals How Tom Cruise Once Called Him Out For Talking On Set

Actor Michael Cera opened up about the moment he once shared with the legendary Tom Cruise—something of a mentorship moment, if you will, though not one Cera likely expected.

During a visit to The Louis Theroux Podcast to discuss his new film The Phoenician Scheme, Cera was reminded of the time in 2010 when he filmed a bit for the MTV Movie Awards with Cruise.

Keep ReadingShow less
Marge Simpson
20th Television Animation

Yes, Marge Simpson Died In 'The Simpsons' Season Finale—But She's Not Gone For Good

The Simpsons is an icon of animation that first appeared as shorts between bits on The Tracey Ullman Show, beginning on April 19, 1987. Dan Castellaneta and Julie Kavner, cast members from Ullman's eponymous sketch comedy show, were asked to lend their voices to keep costs down for the fledgling Fox television network.

In December of 1989, the dysfunctional family got their own show and quickly bolstered viewership for the first U.S.-based network to challenge the original three of ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Keep ReadingShow less