Republican Party

Social Media Mocks Education Department for Misspelled Du Bois Tweet

In a tweet Sunday from its official account, the department attributed a quotation to "W.E.B. DeBois," incorrectly spelling the last name with an "E"

The Education Department is getting social media criticism after misspelling the name of a prominent African-American sociologist.

In a tweet Sunday from its official account, the department attributed a quotation to "W.E.B. DeBois," incorrectly spelling the last name with an "E."

It immediately drew hundreds of responses mocking the department's misspelling of the sociologist's last name, which is correctly spelled D-U B-O-I-S.

One commenter tweeted: "Looks like @Betsy DeVos is in charge now!" referring to the billionaire GOP donor narrowly confirmed as education secretary last week with a tie-breaker vote by Vice President Mike Pence.

Others posted quizzical looks from African-American students.

Another tweeted: "Smooth move during #BlackHistoryMonth."

The Education Department account later tweeted with the correct spelling and apologized for the typo.

Email messages seeking comment from the Education Department were not immediately returned.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
Contact Us