The Department of Education has triggered a fair amount of confusion and outrage by hanging a banner of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk outside its headquarters. The move comes as the country gears up to celebrate its 250th birthday, and it’s definitely causing a stir, especially considering who Kirk is displayed alongside.
Charlie Kirk, who founded Turning Point USA to push conservative values on college campuses across the nation, was assassinated last year at Utah Valley University. His attacker, 22-year-old Tyler Robinson, is now facing charges for aggravated murder, obstruction of justice, and witness tampering. Prosecutors are even seeking the death penalty.
The problem isn’t that Kirk is being honored, although that is still weird. It is that his banner is right next to banners honoring Catharine Beecher and Booker T. Washington. Both were educators who also championed women’s education and education rights for Black people, respectively. Right beside these, another banner proclaims, “Empowering our States to tell the Stories of our Heroes in American Education.”
Kirk doesn’t quite meet the same criteria
Savannah Newhouse, the press secretary for the Department of Education, weighed in on the decision. She told a news outlet, “We are proud to honor visionary leaders whose contributions have shaped the future of education for generations. Their work reflects Benjamin Franklin’s timeless belief that ‘an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.’”
She continued, “As our country marks a historic 250th milestone, this moment invites us all to join in the pursuit of fostering educational opportunity that empowers every learner to rise, contribute, and help shape a brighter future for generations yet to come.” While the sentiment sounds good, the specific inclusion is what’s raising eyebrows. It sparks a lot of questions about the Department’s criteria for “education legends.”
Kirk is revered by the Trump administration as a conservative activist. However, his activism is very different from Beecher and Washington’s specific, foundational contributions to education for marginalized groups.
His inclusion paints an alarming picture of the direction the DoE is taking under the Trump administration. One where DEI programs are abandoned, no matter the cost to the students, and promises that poverty can be solved through old-fashioned family structures.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen a banner like this, either. Earlier this year, the Department of Justice also unveiled a banner featuring a photo of President Trump, suggesting a pattern of honoring figures closely associated with the current administration in prominent federal spaces.
Published: Mar 3, 2026 08:42 am