A customer leaves a “birthday wish” for the US’ 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 learn 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, once we truly have interaction residents, we’ve got 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 thought 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 web site that may be each celebratory and sober — and rigorously nonpartisan. He shortly anxious about this method, suggesting that even the invocation of “birthday” was too mild underneath 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 no less than some.
However his counsel, we moved ahead on a web site 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 affix in accumulating bodily and digital notes over the subsequent yr. Assembly with museum leaders from purple, purple, and blue states was instructive. They have been recreation to affix — which was important, as accumulating notes from solely New York Metropolis residents has restricted worth — but issued sharp warnings: once they have engaged the general public lately, they have been flooded with assaults and anger. These museums helped us develop a listing of “ground rules” that we may use in order that we could possibly be clear about why we weren’t going to publish unproductive submissions, which typically 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 problems round OnOur250th.org have been completely different, notably the gravitational power to be drawn into political conflicts. One media outlet was interested by protecting our work, however provided that we might 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 objective: to coach People about their historical past, so we may also help create a extra good union.
But one way or the other and splendidly, as soon as we launched OnOur250th.org the postings have regularly are available in 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 not often do we’ve got to suppress a remark for violating our content material pointers. 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 thought how arduous it will be to influence 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.
Way more regionally, I discovered inspiration in a group within the Adirondacks.
Yearly, my spouse and I spend the Fourth of July up north with mates, the place key battles have been fought within the Revolutionary Battle. 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 street, the place about 30 adults, kids, and canine march whereas waving small flags.
There’s a connection between this gathering and the founding of our nation. In 1776, in massive 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 quite a lot of views. I used to be flawed to fret. The parade had not an iota of politics, and other people proudly waved American flags (and some Satisfaction flags) and wore goofy purple, 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 light-weight on these sentiments, absolutely we generally is a extra good union.
