Betsy DeVos' Department Of Education Misspelled W.E.B. Du Bois' Name
This past weekend the Twitter account for the United States Department of Education misspelled the name of historian and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois.
The tweet (which can be read below) reads: "Education must not simply teach work - it must teach life. – W.E.B. DeBois."
Soon after the tweet began to circulate, a number of people spoke on the misspelling, resulting in the Department of Education's issuing of an apology via Twitter. But...that was also messed up.
Although it has since been deleted the Washington Post caught the failed apology , which read: "Post updated – our deepest apologizes for the earlier typo."
The U.S. Education Department is now being led by Secretary Betsy DeVos, who was confirmed by the Senate on February 7. Since receiving the position DeVos has encountered opposition from those that believe she is unfit to fulfill the duties of the Secretary of Education.
This past Wednesday, DeVos (or someone else managing her personal Twitter account) tweeted the following message: "Day 1 on the job is done, but we're only getting started. Now where do I find the pencils? :)"
Although the post received a number of well wishes, a number of other responses held DeVos to task. One person even started a GoFundMe campaign for DeVos called "Pencils For DeVos."
"Newly appointed Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos is wondering where the pencils are. Let's help her find them," Robin Anderson, the creator of the GoFundMe page and a former teacher, wrote.
The following day, DeVos was blocked from entering a Washington, D.C. public school by protestors. Upon arrival to Jefferson Academy, a middle school in D.C., DeVos was greeted by multiple parent groups, including the local teachers union and the Movement 4 Black Lives. DeVos eventually made her way into the school and wrote a statement about the protesters following her meeting at Jefferson Academy.
"I respect peaceful protest, and I will not be deterred in executing the vital mission of the Department of Education," she said. "No school door in America will be blocked from those seeking to help our nation's school children."
