I wanted everyone to know about the censorship happening in our country

The Forbidden Words Quilt features 384 words being scrubbed from government websites and documents.

The Forbidden Words Quilt, led by Lorraine Woodruff-Long and Patricia Hickey, is a community quilt project launched in August 2025 and completed in 2026 with contributions from 195 quilters from all 50 U.S. states and D.C. and 5 countries. The quilt features 384 words and phrases identified by [PENAmerica.org](http://penamerica.org/) that are among the growing list of words being scrubbed from government websites and documents and flagged for review by federal agencies.

As artists we are alarmed by the chilling effect that prohibitions on language, ideas and research are having on our country. Despite lip service to “freedom of speech and ending federal censorship” we have seen government overreach in threats, intimidation and stifling the First Amendment. In response, we created a community quilt to serve as an artistic outlet to express our collective anger and frustration around the silencing of speech, language and ideas and create greater awareness to encourage action and resistance for both makers and viewers.

Funds donated will contribute towards exhibition, shipping, travel and communications costs for the project. It is our goal for the project to be seen in person by as many people as possible.

Forbidden Words Quilt Project

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Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Join Lorraine to support Forbidden Words Quilt Project

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Forbidden Words Quilt Project

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Forbidden Words Quilt Project

.css-y50z3g{display:inline-block;--textSize:1.25rem;--lineHeight:1.5rem;line-height:var(--lineHeight);font-size:var(--textSize);width:100%;}Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Join Lorraine to support Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Join Lorraine to support Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Donors

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Become a supporter!

Turn this donation into a movement

Forbidden Words Quilt Project

Forbidden Words Quilt Project