250 to 250 USA

From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant effort of Americans - from all races, ethnicities, genders, and abilities - to make real the belief that we are all created equal and have a right to have a say in our democracy. 

We will be telling their stories over the next several weeks because now, as ever, “We Are America.” ~ Heather Cox Richardson

On this 250th anniversary of the birth of a nation, we wrestle with the complexity of America and how we feel about it. It is a timely reminder of the good stuff while not sugarcoating or shying away from the hard stuff. 

4th of July, Edgewater NJ

We are reclaiming American democracy and taking strength from it to combat those who would destroy it in our era. The Trump administration is really complicating a lot of people's relationship with patriotism and America at the moment. 

We have created a population that is not operating in the real world. When it comes to this country, the larger problem with the fact that we are no longer based in reality - for a significant number of the people who live here. 

That is one of the things that we are all combating. In terms of patriotism in this moment - one of the real changes we've seen since the 1980s is that people have ceased to believe that this is their government. That they have become subjects in a sense rather than citizens. 

NYC skyline across the Hudson River

That is what's exciting about the 250th this year and feeling quite patriotic about it - Americans are rediscovering that. We never had a perfect past and we've never had a perfect present. What we have had is moments of time when people put skin in the game and acted to change them. 

We are seeing that again now in a big way. 

Find our people and find something to do so that we feel we are contributing to the survival of democracy. Remember that democracy is a system of government that is a deeply human enterprise. People's ability to determine their own futures, whatever that looks like to you. 

To the degree we are helping other people learn to read or make it through the end of their life or get their grocery shopping done - that too is part of contributing to a community that is going to create this kind of government. 

Stay involved in politics to the whatever degree you can - it's okay to garden. It's okay to find people to build community. That's actually all of it  - working to build a stronger democracy. 

The extent to which we can fight back against the soul sickness of now and like people - finding things in people to love that make us reinvest in and love the country. 

This gives us all a renewed appreciation for history because it brings us to these moments. To say, hey! not only have we been in dark places before as a country but here's how we got through them. And if we did it before, we can achieve the change this time around again. 

Here's to yet another 250 years of America being united and in touch with the needs of all its people, all the time, all the way. We are all in this together - now and always!