The U.S. Department of Education drew criticism after hanging a banner of late far-right commentator Charlie Kirk among historical figures outside its headquarters building in Washington, D.C., to commemorate the nation’s 250th anniversary and contributions to American education.
Why was Charlie Kirk’s image used alongside notable educators?
Kirk, 31, who founded the far-right group Turning Point USA, was shot and killed on Utah Valley University’s campus on Sept. 10, and was known for making inflammatory and racist comments about women, people of color and the LGBTQ community, Blavity reported.
The banner of Kirk’s image hangs between Booker T. Washington, a writer and educator who called for educational opportunities for Black Americans post-Civil War, and the first principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial School in Alabama, now Tuskegee University, and Catherine Beacher, also an educator and advocate who fought for women’s education. Other notable figures include Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr. and Anne Sullivan, according to The Guardian and Yahoo! News.
“Empowering our States to tell the Stories of our Heroes in American Education,” a banner next to the three images reads.
What did the Department of Education say about the display?
Savannah Newhouse, the Education Department’s press secretary, defended the agency’s decision to celebrate historical leaders, including Kirk.
“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,’” Newhouse said in a statement to USA Today.
The statement continued, “As our country marks an 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.”
Kirk was a college dropout and called higher education a scam
Among the controversial remarks Kirk made during his career, he was a college dropout and never graduated from Harper College in Palatine, Illinois. He chose entrepreneurship instead, calling for the abolishment of the Department of Education and calling college a scam.
In his 2022 book, The College Scam: How America’s Universities Are Bankrupting and Brainwashing Away the Future of America’s Youth, he discussed how higher education was a waste and that colleges and universities were institutions rooted in ideological indoctrination, per Yahoo! News.
Journalist David Weigel noticed Kirk’s featured image on Sunday. His post, which he shared on X, formerly Twitter, has since garnered more than 2.9 million views.
“Walking along the Mall. First time I’ve seen the Charlie Kirk banner on the Department of Education,” he wrote.
Several users commented on the post, criticizing Kirk for his comments and the Department of Education for choosing to include him in a display that honors trailblazing figures and their contributions to education.
The post Charlie Kirk, Who Called Higher Ed A Scam And Dropped Out Of College, Has A Banner At Department Of Education Next To Booker T. Washington appeared first on Blavity.
