US Dept of Ed Honors Controversial Figures

0:00On March 2nd, the U.S. Department of Education has put up large banners outside its Washington D.C. headquarters honoring key figures in American. Education History One features Trolley Kirk, the conservative activist killed last September during a speaking event at Utah Valley University. The other show Catherine Beecher, a 19th-century advocate for women's education, and Booker T. Washington, who advanced schooling for black. After the Civil War, Kirk co-founded Turning Point USA, a group that pushes conservative views on college campuses. The banners sit under a message about empowering states to share stories of education heroes. Critics are upset over Kirk's inclusion, pointing to his history of divisive comments on race, gender, and other hot-button issues. Some note he recently called for shutting down the Education Department itself. Still, former President Donald Trump hailed him as a hero and gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom after his death. Department officials defend the display, saying it celebrates leaders whose ideas build

1:03lasting educational progress. They tie it to Benjamin Franklin's wisdom on knowledge as the best investment, especially with the country's 250th anniversary. Approaching, this follows a banner of Trump unveiled last month at the Justice Department building, hinting at a pattern of spotlighting influential conservatives. In government spaces... In governments spaces, in government spaces, in government spaces, in government spaces...