Read at the link to see more of her horrible ideology.  

Personally, I agree with the presentation of Keller's story without the introduction of her political opinions.  Her accomplishments are inspiring and make us aware of the potential that can be hidden in so many people.  

That she was a smart lady in no way excuses her perverse and radical, violent advocacy of marxism and communism.  

Why is this worth mentioning?  When her story is so inspirational otherwise, why should I bring this up with seemingly no other context?

Because it's a way to show how strong a movement the communist ideology had in this country back then.  Back in the twenties and thirties, communism, Freudianism, and a few other crackpot ideas were quite the fad among many of the self-identified intelligentsia.  Eleanor Roosevelt associated with many marxists, though most historians think she was not one herself:  I suppose they consider her too much of a ding bat to have such intentional associations though I've seen no such evidence of that.  Her husband's closest advisor, Harry Hopkins, was a soviet spy who tried to assist in supplying the USSR with nuclear material and technology.

Clearly marxism was very popular and powerful here in the United States.  Despite that, it has never gotten mass popularity among Americans.  Most Americans, then as now, favor rugged individualism and free enterprise, even if they often and vacantly mouth slogans that might indicate otherwise.  When truly socialist ideas are presented, Americans tend to balk at them.

Back then, marxists such as Helen Keller tended to be open about their ideas.  The result of the House Unamerican Activities Commission and the McCarthy hearings is that most of the movers and shakers in the marxist movement began to be more discreet.

This is not an international black helicopter conspiracy.  It is an ideology.  The ideology did not die when the cold war ended, in fact it was again freed from the association of murderous Stalinism and was able to flourish again as being acceptable.  Marxists never disappeared from our society, the influential ones just learned to be less open about the name of their ideas.  

We are now living through the triumph of marxism in our nation.  Nothing B. Hussein has done, and very little of what he has said distinguishes him from the ideology of his openly marxist friends.