The Education Department hung banners from its District of Columbia headquarters honoring historic U.S. educators, including slain conservative leader Charlie Kirk.
Education Secretary Linda McMahon on Monday posted a video produced by the executive branch-backed Freedom 250 organization on X featuring the banners and a voiceover from President Donald Trump.
Celebrating visionary leaders who have shaped the future of education for generations! @Freedom250 pic.twitter.com/fHZR9Nn4S4
— Secretary Linda McMahon (@EDSecMcMahon) March 2, 2026
The video shows, in order, Benjamin Franklin, Martin Luther King Jr., Helen Keller’s teacher Anne Sullivan, Tuskegee University developer Booker T. Washington, Hartford Female Seminary founder Catharine Beecher and Kirk, co-founder of the activist group Turning Point USA.
Text in the video calls the figures on the banners “visionary leaders who have shaped the future of education for generations.” Another banner seen in the clip references America’s impending 250th anniversary and reads “empowering our states to tell the stories of our heroes in American education.”
“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,’” Education Department Press Secretary Savannah Newhouse told USA Today.
Kirk, who visited colleges nationwide to debate people, was giving an answer at Utah Valley University when he was shot and killed on Sept. 10. His suspected killer, Tyler Robinson, 22, is facing seven charges, including aggravated murder.
If Mr. Robinson is found guilty, he could be put to death.
