The US Department of Education (DOE) placed three banners over its building in Washington, DC, on Monday. These banners include civil rights activist Booker T. Washington, educator Catharine Beecher, and the late Turning Point USA Founder Charlie Kirk. Banners of similar figures such as Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, and Anne Sullivan, hang on the other side of the building
The DOE emphasized the banners being hung in commemoration of the 250th birthday of the United States.
“We are proud at this Department of Justice to celebrate 250 years of our great country and our historic work to make America safe again at President Trump’s direction,” the department told USA Today.
Those figures depicted have been deemed “heroes in American education” by the DOE whose stories need to be told throughout US classrooms.
“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,'” DOE Spokesperson Savannah Newhouse, told USA TODAY. “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.”
