America at 250: Beyond a Single Story
As the nation approaches its 250th anniversary, we are witnessing more than preparations for a national milestone. We’re witnessing a struggle over who gets to define America, whose stories count, and what futures become possible. The official Freedom 250 initiative is advancing a familiar narrative of uncomplicated triumph: traveling “Freedom Trucks,” monument restorations, and a telling of the founding that treats slavery as a footnote, Indigenous dispossession as a settled chapter, and the contributions of Latino, Asian American, and immigrant communities as peripheral to the American story. Narrative is part of the infrastructure of democracy. The stories a society elevates shape what a society values, what it protects or erases, and whose humanity, leadership, and experiences are recognized in public life. These battles over history and narrative shape the conditions under which people are trying to govern, organize, advocate, teach, heal, and build community. When public narratives narrow and truth becomes contested terrain, the ripple effects extend beyond museums and commemorations into policy decisions, institutional priorities, and the possibilities communities envision for themselves. At CURE, we work alongside nonprofit organizations, coalitions, public agencies, and community leaders navigating these realities, where the tools for advancing racial equity are increasingly contested even as the need for them intensifies locally. We see leaders defending hard-won gains while grappling with burnout, backlash, and political uncertainty, yet still working to deepen trust, build collective power, and move communities toward equity, justice, and belonging. In a moment when narratives shape the boundaries of what’s possible, truth-telling, critical reflection, and reparative practices that strengthen dialogue, trust, and belonging are not peripheral to the work. They are part of how communities imagine, defend, and build a collective vision for a more inclusive future. Find articles and resources in What We’re Reading below for deeper context, fuller histories, and broader perspectives on America at 250. What We’re Reading, Watching and Exploring Articles and Videos America250 Cannot Celebrate Freedom While Honoring Slaveholders — Jeffrey Bennett, Time The US at 250: A Native Perspective – Hosted by Rose Aguilar, KALW The Overlooked History of Asian Americans and the Struggle for Belonging – PBS America’s 250th Is Repeating a Familiar Mistake – Julia Ott Marks, Time America Is Us: Latino History – Hispanic Federation America 250: A Guide for Defending Democracy – National Urban League and Demand Diversity Roundtable EventsNEXT 250: We the People Declare Interdependence — A Declaration of Interdependence and mass mobilization set for June 27, 2026 in Washington, DC, brings together community leaders, artists, workers, and everyday people to shape a shared vision for an equitable and inclusive America. Art As Counter-Narrative Bisa Butler – Quilted portraits that transform historical photographs of Black life into vivid, larger-than-life celebrations of dignity and cultural memory. Titus Kaphar – Artwork that disrupts classical portraiture and historical imagery to reveal the people and histories American narratives often leave out. Corky Lee – Fifty years of “photographic justice” including recreating the 1869 transcontinental railroad photo that erased Chinese laborers who built it. Favianna Rodriguez – Printmaking that centers migration, belonging, and the humanity of immigrant communities. Jaune Quick-to-See Smith – Map paintings that layer Indigenous presence over U.S. borders, making visible the people and land that official narratives erase.
