U.S. Education Dept. hangs Charlie Kirk banner next to Martin Luther King Jr., Ben Franklin

New banners go up in Washington

The U.S. Department of Education put up new banners on the outside of its headquarters on Maryland Avenue in Washington, D.C., on March 1.

One banner features the face of the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk, placed right next to banners of historic education figures like Benjamin Franklin and Martin Luther King Jr.

The display is part of America 250, the federal government’s celebration marking 250 years since the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Six faces now line the building

Kirk’s banner hangs alongside Franklin, King, Booker T. Washington, Catharine Beecher, and Anne Sullivan.

Another banner on the building reads “Empowering our states to tell the stories of our heroes in American education.”

Press secretary Savannah Newhouse said the department was “proud to honor visionary leaders whose contributions have shaped the future of education for generations.”

Other banners reference turning the page on the next 250 years of academic excellence.

Kirk built a conservative youth movement

Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 when he was just 18 years old.

The conservative nonprofit focused on getting young people involved in Republican politics on high school and college campuses.

By the time of his death, the group had a presence on roughly 900 college campuses and about 1,200 high schools.

Kirk hosted The Charlie Kirk Show podcast, and his social media platforms reached more than 100 million people a month.

Kirk never finished college himself

Kirk dropped out of Harper College, a community college in Palatine, Ill., and never earned a degree.

In 2022, he published a book called “The College Scam,” arguing that universities had become places of ideological pressure rather than real learning.

He also served on Trump’s 1776 Commission, which aimed to promote what the administration called patriotic education. After his death, Hillsdale College announced it would give him an honorary doctorate in May 2026.

Kirk was killed at a campus event

Kirk was shot and killed on Sept. 10, 2025, while speaking at an outdoor campus debate at Utah Valley University in Orem, Utah.

He was 31 years old and on the first stop of his American Comeback Tour, with about 3,000 people in the crowd. Tyler Robinson, 22, of Washington, Utah, was arrested and charged with aggravated murder.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty in the case.

Trump awarded Kirk the Medal of Freedom

President Trump gave Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Oct. 14, 2025, which would have been Kirk’s 32nd birthday.

The ceremony took place in the White House Rose Garden, and Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, accepted the medal. Congress also approved a resolution marking Oct. 14 as a National Day of Remembrance for Kirk.

Erika Kirk took over as CEO of Turning Point USA on Sept. 18, 2025, eight days after her husband’s death.

Washington rose from slavery to lead Tuskegee

Booker T. Washington was born into slavery in 1856 in Virginia and worked his way through school at the Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute.

In 1881, he became the first leader of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute in Alabama, now known as Tuskegee University.

He led the school for more than 30 years, growing it to over 100 buildings, about 1,500 students, and nearly 200 faculty. He was the first Black person to dine at the White House.

Beecher pushed to educate American women

Catharine Beecher was born in 1800 and became one of the most important education reformers of her century.

In 1823, she and her sister co-founded the Hartford Female Seminary in Connecticut, offering women subjects like Latin, math, logic, and philosophy when most girls’ schools only taught fine arts and languages.

She campaigned to recruit and train women as teachers, helping make teaching a female-led profession in American public schools. She was also the sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Sullivan changed what special education could be

Anne Sullivan spent years teaching Helen Keller, who was both deaf and blind, to read, write, and communicate with the world.

That work became one of the most important contributions to special education in the country’s history.

Sullivan remains one of the most recognized educators in American history, and her place on the building drew little debate compared to the other names on display.

Trump banners now hang on several federal buildings

The Education Department display follows a pattern across Washington.

In February, the Department of Justice hung a banner featuring President Trump’s face with the slogan “Make America Safe Again.”

Similar banners with the president’s image have gone up on the Department of Labor and Department of Agriculture buildings.

The administration has framed all of these displays as part of the America 250 celebration leading up to July 4, 2026.

America 250 runs through the end of 2026

America 250 is the official nationwide celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The White House created a public-private partnership called Freedom 250, with events running from Memorial Day 2025 through the end of 2026.

The General Services Administration offered decoration packages to federal agencies, including banners, flags, and building lighting.

Agencies across the government have been highlighting figures they consider important to American history.

Critics question who belongs in the building

Not everyone agrees Kirk belongs alongside figures like Franklin and King.

Critics have questioned placing a contemporary political activist on a taxpayer-funded building next to historic icons.

Supporters say anniversary celebrations should reflect both historical legacy and present-day influence on civic life. The Education Department has not publicly explained the criteria it used to pick the six figures.

The display comes as the administration has been working to shift many Education Department functions to other agencies.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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