1. United States
2. Utah
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong opposition to the Department of Education's decision to display a banner honoring Charlie Kirk on its Washington building. Placing Kirk alongside historic educators Booker T. Washington and Catharine Beecher fundamentally misrepresents what educational excellence means and sends a dangerous message about whose values our government endorses. Booker T. Washington founded Tuskegee University and dedicated his life to expanding educational access for Black Americans in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Catharine Beecher worked to professionalize teaching and broaden educational opportunities for women. These individuals built lasting institutions and advanced education as a field. Charlie Kirk founded Turning Point USA in 2012, a political advocacy organization focused on promoting conservative principles on college campuses. His primary work has been political activism and debate, not educational reform or institution building. Beyond the question of qualifications, Kirk made statements during his career that many found deeply troubling, including comments that opponents characterized as dismissive of child safety, anti-immigrant, and hostile to transgender rights. The Department of Education should represent all students and families, not elevate figures whose rhetoric has been divisive and harmful to vulnerable young people. This banner display is part of recognizing academic excellence during our nation's 250th anniversary. That recognition should honor individuals who expanded educational access, built schools and universities, developed pedagogical methods, or otherwise advanced the field of education itself. Political activism, regardless of ideology, does not meet this standard. I urge you to call on the Department of Education to remove the Charlie Kirk banner immediately. Our federal education agency should honor educators who dedicated their lives to learning and teaching, not political figures whose controversial statements have caused harm. This is about maintaining the integrity and nonpartisan mission of an institution that serves all American students.