'Shame! Shame!' Protesters Block Ed Sec Betsy DeVos from Entering School

Early on Thursday morning, a group of protesters physically blocked Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from entering a school in Washington, D.C., yelling at her and even blocking her van when she attempted to leave.

“Keep giving money to senators and buying your way to the position — you should be so proud of yourself,” one of the protesters yelled at DeVos as she turned away from the school door. As the secretary entered the motorcade, a protester yelled, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

Even when the van attempted to pull away, one of the protesters ran in front of it, holding a “Black Lives Matter” sign to obstruct the vehicle.

The racial message is particularly interesting, since black leaders have praised DeVos for caring about children in their community. “She’s not African American, but she’s concerned about our children,” Dr. Dwight Montgomery, president of the Memphis chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s organization), said of DeVos.

But the protest should not be surprising, coming as it does after months of liberal attacks on Trump’s pick to head the Department of Education. Liberals branded DeVos a racist, an elitist, a foe of public education, a religious extremist, and even — in a harebrained attack — a supporter of child labor.

Much of this opposition can be explained by DeVos’ championing of school choice, which terrifies teachers’ unions. It is true that DeVos has no direct experience teaching children or managing school districts, but she has been deeply involved in the movement to expand educational options in her home state of Michigan and across the country.

This past Tuesday, DeVos was confirmed when Vice President Mike Pence broke a tie in the Senate.

Click “Load More” to see a video of protesters physically blocking DeVos.

Sec. DeVos physically blocked by protesters from entering DC school–turned away and left. Unclear if she attempted another door. @ABC7News pic.twitter.com/buNgmOJbya

— Sam Sweeney (@SweeneyABC) February 10, 2017