Sen. Marsha Blackburn said she would bring back school segregation if elected governor of Tennessee.
In early September 2026, as Repulican U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn campaigned for governor of Tennessee, many people online claimed she announced a plan to bring segregation back to schools in the state if elected.
For example, a Facebook post stated:
BREAKING: Marsha Blackburn has announced that if she wins her bid for governor she will bring segregation back to Tennessee schools with the pilot program being in Chattanooga. “The supreme court will side with President Trump and I on this. The way we see it kids feel more comfortable with other kids that look like them.”
(Facebook user, Chattanooga Enquirer)
Snopes readers emailed us to ask whether the claim was true.
The claim originated from an account that was satirical in nature. Blackburn did not say she would bring back school segregation in Tennessee. As such, this claim is labeled satire.
The post came from the Chattanooga Enquirer, a Facebook page that describes itself as a “Satire/Parody” media company. The introduction to the page states: “The one stop shop for Chattanooga’s fake but maybe real news.”
We searched for the purported quote featured in the post on Google, DuckDuckGo (archived), and Bing, and found no evidence of Blackburn ever making this announcement.
Blackburn has long been an opponent of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, and critical race theory in schools. On her Senate website, Blackburn calls CRT “a radical school of thought used by the political left to assign racial significance to objectively neutral concepts like history and mathematics.” She adds, “This dangerous agenda insists that America is a racist country and teaches that all individuals are either oppressors or victims.”
As Snopes previously reported, CRT looks to the law for answers as to why racial inequality persists even as American founding documents and aspirational ideals vaunt equality, and after the Civil Rights Movement brought about landmark legislation aimed at ending racism de jure.
According to data from the 2023-2024 school year collected by Stanford University, Tennessee is ranked sixth among the most racially segregated public schools in the country.
For further reading, Snopes previously reported on the false claim that Blackburn flashed a “white power gesture” during a Senate hearing.
Sources
Avedian, Lillian. “Report: Tennessee Schools Rank High in Racial and Economic Segregation.” Nashville Banner, 23 June 2026, https://nashvillebanner.com/2026/06/23/tennessee-public-schools-segregation-report/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
“Chattanooga Enquirer.” Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/people/Chattanooga-Enquirer/61591673356763/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
Evon, Dan. “Do Pics Show Blackburn Flashing ‘White Power Sign’ in US Senate?” Snopes, 11 Apr. 2022, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/blackburn-white-power/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
“Fighting ‘Wokeness.'” U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/fighting-wokeness. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
Palma, Bethania. “What Is Critical Race Theory and Why Are Some People So Mad at It?” Snopes, 27 May 2021, https://www.snopes.com//news/2021/05/27/what-is-critical-race-theory/. Accessed 11 Sept. 2026.
