A customer leaves a “birthday wish” for the USA’ 250th Anniversary on the New York Historic (picture courtesy the museum)
I work on the New York Historic, a nationwide historical past museum in New York Metropolis, and am tasked with serving to to construct considerate programming on tips on how to have a good time the nation’s 250th anniversary in 2026.
There may be a lot to navigate: funding cuts, Meta insurance policies that discourage discourse, and a cultural second that defaults to partisanship and cynicism. But however this terrain, after we really have interaction residents, we now have been discovering nice idealism and optimism.
“I wish citizens could gain the dedication to our country like the Greatest Generation had,” writes Letha from Texas on our digital want wall for the nation’s 250th. “I wish we could regain the unity they had, strongly dedicated to our country, working for a better future with a sense of duty and gratitude for our freedom.”
Our Museum started its work simply after the presidential election and instantly sought funding for the initiative. One nascent concept we had was constructing a digital platform to gather “birthday wishes” from residents throughout the nation for our nation and its democracy. In a single assembly with a potential and well-connected donor, I made my pitch for a website that will be each celebratory and sober — and rigorously nonpartisan. He rapidly apprehensive about this strategy, suggesting that even the invocation of “birthday” was too gentle below the present circumstances. “I believe there is a more than 50% chance the President will cancel the midterm elections – and this is no time to celebrate a birthday.” Clearly, the temper is darkish for at the very least some.
However his counsel, we moved ahead on a website entitled OnOur250th.org that invitations customers to go away five- to 50-word submissions. We constructed a coalition of 27 historical past museums throughout the nation to hitch in amassing bodily and digital notes over the subsequent yr. Assembly with museum leaders from crimson, purple, and blue states was instructive. They have been sport to hitch — which was essential, as amassing notes from solely New York Metropolis residents has restricted worth — but issued sharp warnings: after they have engaged the general public lately, they have been flooded with assaults and anger. These museums helped us develop an inventory of “ground rules” that we might use in order that we might be clear about why we weren’t going to put up unproductive submissions, which usually embrace profanity, violence, or irrelevant content material.
Guests jotting their needs for the way forward for the nation on July 4, 2025, on the New York Historic (picture courtesy the museum)
I’ve led communications at nonprofits for many years and — with uncommon exceptions — subscribe to the “as long as they’re spelling our name right” faculty of public relations. However the issues round OnOur250th.org have been totally different, notably the gravitational power to be drawn into political conflicts. One media outlet was fascinated about overlaying our work, however provided that we’d conform to touch upon the Trump Administration’s assaults on nationwide museum leaders and humanities funding. “Wouldn’t your museum want to speak up for democracy at this moment?” requested the reporter. In fact we’re appalled on the assault on museums and their independence. However we exist for a extra circumscribed goal: to teach People about their historical past, so we might help create a extra good union.
But someway and splendidly, as soon as we launched OnOur250th.org the postings have regularly are available from our fellow residents, they usually have been breathtaking and galvanizing. “My wish is for greater national unity and for us to return to standing as a country united in serving all its citizens,” wrote Phyliss from Illinois. Themes of equality, training, and alternative are ever-present, and really hardly ever do we now have to suppress a remark for violating our content material tips. We’ve obtained submissions from center schoolers to senior residents, from virtually each state within the union. It’s actually not simple — I had no concept how onerous it might be to steer folks to take the time to share a submission about democracy, and whereas we’re at 10,000 or so now, we hope for a lot of extra.
Rather more domestically, I discovered inspiration in a group within the Adirondacks.
Yearly, my spouse and I spend the Fourth of July up north with pals, the place key battles have been fought within the Revolutionary Struggle. We keep on a lake with 50 homes or so, the place one household has an annual multi-generational gathering for days, the spotlight of which is a parade organized down a dust highway, the place about 30 adults, kids, and canines march whereas waving small flags.
There’s a connection between this gathering and the founding of our nation. In 1776, in giant and small cities, cities, and villages, copies of the Declaration of Independence have been posted in public squares, which provoked gatherings of requires independence.
I feared that partisanship and animosity would infect the festivities this yr, because the lake residents absolutely have a wide range of views. I used to be incorrect to fret. The parade had not an iota of politics, and other people proudly waved American flags (and some Pleasure flags) and wore goofy crimson, white, and blue apparel. Quickly the parade stopped in entrance of us, and all of us sang alongside to “You’re a Grand Old Flag.”
A nonpartisan gathering of group about our nation introduced us pleasure and optimism. Equally, Mike from Pennsylvania wrote on our want wall, “May our country continue as it has been, a beacon of liberty and goodness to the world, as we strive to form a more perfect union.”
By shining a lightweight on these sentiments, absolutely we could be a extra good union.
