A banner featuring Charlie Kirk, the conservative activist who was killed while debating college students in Utah, now hangs from the Department of Education building in Washington.
Banners honoring educator Booker T. Washington and reformer Catharine Beecher are also displayed, part of a series recognizing “academic excellence” as the nation marks its 250th anniversary.
Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to promote conservative principles on college campuses, including fiscal responsibility, free markets and limited government. He became known for traveling to universities to debate students and advocate for conservative ideas, building a network of young activists.
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Kirk was a prominent supporter of President Donald Trump and was credited by allies with helping mobilize young conservative voters during the 2024 presidential election.
Some of Kirk’s comments and positions drew criticism, with opponents describing certain statements as anti-immigrant or hostile to transgender rights.
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The banner featuring Booker T. Washington honors one of the most influential Black educators of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Washington advocated vocational and industrial education as a pathway to economic advancement for Black Americans and founded what is now Tuskegee University.
Catharine Beecher was a 19th-century education reformer who promoted expanded educational opportunities for women and professional training for teachers. She helped advance the idea of teaching as a respectable profession for women and worked to broaden women’s roles in American education.
