I have been spending time with a friend who is politically active in South Carolina. Her passion and our conversations about politics have me thinking about the tone of our WISER Wednesdays.
My desire is for WISER Wednesdays to be your mid-week wake-up about inequality, to provide you with data that encourages you to think critically about a current topic, and to embolden you to have conversations that shift narratives. In this political climate, I realize that my “Why I love America” series could be doing all this and yet have a weird tension between motivating action and “why bother”—inequality and oppression remain (but look different).
I was going to write about Memorial Day, focusing on who has fought and died for promises not yet extended to them, but I decided this has been done repeatedly. So I asked Perplexity.ai for alternative current topics and got:
- America 250 / Freedom 250 and “service”
- Memorial Day’s origin story in the Black freedom struggle
- Military families, women, and invisible policy burdens
- STEM, defense, and who gets “protected”
- “Never forget” vs. everyday policy amnesia
America 250 / Freedom 250 piqued my interest. So I asked for links.
- White House Freedom 250
- America250
- U.S. Department of State “Freedom 250”
- Department of the Interior “Freedom 250”
- Freedom 250 standalone site
And then Perplexity.ai offered the following paragraph:
“Over the next few years, the United States will spend billions of dollars telling a story called ‘Freedom 250’ and ‘America 250.’ It will be on museum walls, in classrooms, and in political speeches. That story will say that freedom belongs to all of us. Our work asks a simple question: will the data and policies behind that celebration finally treat Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women as fully visible, or will they remain a single checkbox called ‘women of color’?”
My initial response was:
Wrong! Not over the next few years, but the next few months. But perhaps the celebration doesn’t culminate on July 4, 2026, but continues through the next campaign cycle.
Then I thought, “Who is telling the ‘story’ that freedom belongs to all of us?” And no, our (WISER) work isn’t to answer this simple question.
I believe the more important question is not the story they tell about freedom, but what we say about freedom. Do we believe freedom “belongs to all of us”?
I do!
And I believe the 250th Celebration of the Birth of these United States of America is an opportunity to use your voice to tell your story about freedom belonging to all of us.
So, as I continue with “Why I love these United States of America,” I want to focus on freedom—namely, the freedom of speech protected by the First Amendment. I love that several organizations, because of freedom of speech, can express their views on the semiquincentennial celebration. Moreover, I love that each of us has the freedom to add our voice to the celebration.
Practicing the Future We Want
America250.org has an initiative, “Our American Story,” which invites people across the country to share their stories. Imagine if a representative sample of Americans actually did this—people of every age, region, income, disability status, gender, and racial and ethnic background. Imagine Asian, Black, Hispanic, Indigenous American, and Multiracial women telling their stories in their own words, not a footnote or a category on a WISER slide or table.
When I picture “Our American Story,” these are the people I see—and the people I expect to be named in research, in policy, and in the stories we tell about freedom.
Table 1. U.S. Adult Population by Ethnicity, Race, and Sex: 2024
America250 has also launched “America Gives” and “Giving4th,” efforts designed to connect people to causes and communities they care about. If we believe freedom belongs to all of us, then our giving of money, time, attention, and the power of our voice should reflect that.
When America turned 200, I was not old enough to participate in a meaningful way.
I am old enough now.
The 250th birthday is not just a date on a calendar. It is an opportunity to practice for the future we want by adding the power of our voices to the American Story. America250.org has extended an open invitation for us to answer these questions:
- How has living in your State or Territory shaped who you are?
- What’s a motto or piece of advice that’s been passed down in your family that exemplifies the American Spirit?
- What message would you send to future generations about this moment in our nation’s history — and your role in it?
I plan to add my voice. Will you join me?
Rhonda V. Sharpe is the president and founder of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race. Her research focuses on gender and racial inequality, the diversity of STEM, and the demography of higher education.
