July 4, 2026 will be the 250th birthday of the United States of America.
While the government for the country wouldn't be outlined until the drafting and ratification of the U.S. Constitution by nine of 13 states in 1788, the birth of the nation has long been recognized as the date on the Declaration of Independence—July 4, 1776—when 13 colonies under the rule of Great Britain declared themselves to be independent and united states.
Leading up to the birthday celebration, Washington D.C. has begun decorating landmarks in the nation's capital.
The Department of Education, headed by MAGA Republican President Donald Trump's Secretary of Education, professional wrestling promoter and executive Linda McMahon, recently unveiled their decor with the installation of seven banners across the front of their headquarters.
The first banner reads:
"Turning the page to the next 250 years of academic excellence."
A patriotically themed banner follows.
Next are three banners featuring black and white photos of, from left to right, women's education advocate Catherine Beecher, Black education advocate Booker T. Washington, and right-wing podcaster Charlie Kirk, a community college dropout who referred to higher education as a liberal scam. Each likeness includes a year of birth and death.
A red, patriotically themed banner follows, then another banner that reads:
"Empowering our States to tell the Stories of our Heroes in American Education."
People quickly noted a disconnect between the message and one of the "heroes" chosen to exemplify it.
You can see the banners installed on the DOE building in Washington, D.C., from two angles here:
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People had strong reactions to the new decorations adorning the building for the United States' 250th birthday.
People in the Teachers subReddit, which is "dedicated to open discussion about all things teaching," were particularly critical of the choice of Kirk.
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Kirk infamously claimed that school shootings and the deaths of children were a reasonable price to pay to maintain the right to own guns.
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The educators gave multiple reasons why Charlie Kirk was a ridiculous choice for the Department of Education.
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The educators in the subReddit brought some of the receipts for why the inclusion of Kirk was exclusionary.
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One educator pointed out the use of Booker T. Washington—who opposed the civil rights movement, feeling people of color should adhere to the Jim Crow laws that oppressed them—and Catherine Beecher—who vehemently opposed women gaining the right to vote—were also calculated choices.
Both upheld a White supremacist patriarchy despite it being in opposition to their own best interests.
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Kirk's banner isn't the first to draw backlash.
When a banner featuring Trump's likeness was hung at the Department of Justice, it was met with harsh criticism given the POTUS's extensive history of fraud and 34 felony convictions.
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