As the gray smoke from our 4th of July fireworks and barbecues has ceased and our busy work schedules and daily routines have resumed, our conversations about this year’s historic anniversary have not stopped, because this moment means something different to each of us.
When I opened Instagram on the Fourth, I saw various posts expressing their take on the holiday. I scrolled past photos of people on their boats, in American-flag attire, with “Happy Birthday, America!” captions. And on the flip side, I read other posts about historical and present injustices, about people not celebrating a country they believe hasn’t yet reckoned with itself. However, the diversity in how people acknowledged the holiday that weekend speaks directly to the complex beauty of this nation. As Americans, we have the inalienable right to celebrate or challenge our country in the way we individually see fit.
So in this historical year, looking at America holistically is more critical than ever.
We’re a nation whose history is both polarizing and inspiring. It’s a mix of triumphs and tragedies, of accomplishments and adversities, of beauty and brutality. We’re a people who enslaved humans and then fought to free them. A people who shook the hands of Natives, and then pillaged their land. We’re a people who withheld rights from women, and then marched and changed those laws. We’re a nation that’s ended horrific wars but has started new ones.
As a Black American woman, I see America as a stained-glass window of a gorgeous hope and a gory genesis. I am proud of my heritage, which helped build this nation, and I have my qualms about specific issues this country still needs to reconcile. Like Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I criticize America because I love her. I want her to stand as a moral example to the world.” And his friend James Baldwin shared a similar sentiment: “I love America more than any other country in this world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.”
So yes, in 1776, America adopted the Declaration of Independence, severing ties with Great Britain and beginning its journey as a nation. And in the nearly three centuries since, we’ve done enough incredible and regrettable things to fill countless history books in hundreds of libraries from California to New York—an archive of our complicated trajectory that formed the United States of America.
Part of the reason these conversations remain contentious is that our experiences in this country have never been the same; even the Declaration that “constituted us” hasn’t always constituted us.
Even though our first president didn’t sign the Declaration, George Washington relied on its principles to encourage American troops to win the Revolutionary War. Cut to 2026, at the opening of the Obama Presidential Center, our first Black president reflected on the principles of that same document, “Over more than two centuries, through petitions and protests, marches and strikes, moral appeals from the pulpit and conversations at the family dinner table, men and women from all walks of life… took up the cause of democracy and made it their own, until ‘We the people’ came to include not just some of us, but all of us.”
And “We the people” is still a goal this country strives and struggles toward every new year. The only way we can fundamentally move the needle beyond tolerance to meaningful unity is by recognizing that there are countless perspectives worth hearing outside the confines of our backyards, our boats, or people we follow on social media.
With that in mind, I asked some Bloomington community leaders, organizers, and writers to reflect honestly on this historic moment of 250 years. Here are their thoughts.
Local Reflections on America’s 250th Anniversary
Charlie Nelms, Ed.D.
Title: Author, Executive Coach, HBCU Advocate & Philanthropist
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“More than 170 years after Frederick Douglass asked, ‘What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?’, the question remains. Today, the question of celebration is personal and collective. We must acknowledge the nation’s ideals while refusing to ignore its failures. The promise of America cannot be selectively applied.”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” — popularized by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Describe the U.S.A. in three words.
Complex. Contradictory. Caring.
El Centro Comunal Latino (CCL)
Spokesperson: Ana Cordero
Title: Health Projects Coordinator, Centro Comunal Latino
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“The 250th anniversary is really about people. It’s about honoring those who came before us, celebrating the diverse voices that make up our nation and community, and thinking about the legacy we’re leaving for future generations.
Bloomington has always been a place where people come together to support one another and celebrate our differences. This milestone is a reminder of the importance of continuing to do that.”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“We all do better when we all do better.”
— Paul Wellstone
The organization noted that the quote reflects the idea that when opportunities are created for everyone, the entire community benefits.
Describe the U.S.A. in three words:
These words reflect both America’s history and its potential, acknowledging meaningful progress while recognizing that work remains to ensure everyone has the opportunity to thrive: Resilient. Evolving. Hopeful.
Maria Douglass, MSW
Title: Civic Engagement Co-Chair, Hoosier Asian American Power
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“I view this as a celebration of colonization and the beginning of the dehumanization of people.”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“A revolution that is based on people exercising their creativity in the midst of devastation is one of the great historical contributions of humankind.”
— Grace Lee Boggs
Describe the U.S.A. in three words.
Colonized. Lost. Disconnected.
Chris Schumerth
Title: Journalist, writer, podcaster (Rudy’s Bench), and Indiana University staff member
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“I didn’t think much about the 250th anniversary until I saw someone’s shirt. It made the Fourth mean a little more this year. Celebrating the holiday doesn’t mean denying the worst parts of our history. We celebrate people without endorsing everything they’ve done, so why not countries, too?”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Describe the U.S.A. in three words.
Innovative, chaotic, and unpredictable
Olivia Rosario Hoover
Title: Associate Director of Development, Latino Philanthropy, IU Foundation
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“From a national standpoint, it’s difficult to view America’s 250th anniversary as a celebration. Bloomington has shown me the power of community. Rather than celebrating this milestone, I’m choosing to channel my frustration into building a better future where I live.”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“Si lo ven que viene palo al tiburón… En la unión está la fuerza y nuestra salvación.”
— Rubén Blades, “Tiburón”
Translation: “If you see it coming, give the shark a beating. Our strength and freedom is in our unity.”
Describe the U.S.A. in three words.
Expansive. Complicated. Beautiful.
Clarence W. Boone Jr.
Title: Associate Director of Communities and Diversity Programs, Indiana University Alumni Association; Host, Bring It On, WFHB 91.3 FM
How do you view this 250th anniversary from a national and local standpoint?
“This Independence Day feels different. I do not feel the same sense of patriotic enthusiasm as in past years. Our nation is facing significant challenges, but I find encouragement in Bloomington’s resilience and optimism. That spirit gives me hope that progress and opportunity can still be nurtured.”
What’s a quote that keeps you optimistic about America’s progression toward a more equitable union?
“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”
— 2 Chronicles 7:14
Describe the U.S.A. in three words.
Land of Possibility.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington residents share thoughts on America as it celebrates 250
Reporting by Brittany Talissa King, Special to The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Brittany Talissa King, Special to The Herald-Times | USA TODAY Network
