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Last week was the fifteenth week of videos from the 250 to 250 Project that we’re producing to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Our hope was for the videos to emphasize the agency of Americans—mostly everyday Americans—to change the country. Each falls into a category that defines what it means to be an American, including community, democracy, innovation, mobility, civil rights, education, conservation, and creativity.
Every week, I try to say something new about the week’s videos, but in a way, each week’s production has been the same: a wonderful combination of my own favorite historical events and ones new to me, with narrators who fit their topics perfectly and are themselves part of America’s story. The generous participation of so many people in this project has made it significantly bigger than the sum of its parts, and this week is no exception.
You can follow the project at the sites listed below, or under “videos” at my own YouTube page: Heather Cox Richardson. Or just wait until I send out the week’s roundup.
Follow Along | #WeAreAmerica250
Substack | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok | Bluesky | Threads
Jane Collective, Narrated by Heather Booth
Heather Booth is an organizer and political strategist who has worked in civil rights and the feminist movement. She was a founder of the underground abortion service provider known as the Jane Collective.
Buffalo Soldiers, Narrated by Andrew J. Huebner
Dr. Andrew J. Huebner is a Professor of History at the University of Alabama who focuses on modern U.S. cultural and military history. He is a Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians (OAH), author of the acclaimed books Love and Death in the Great War and The Warrior Image, and co-editor of The Cambridge History of War and Society in America. He is currently finishing a new history of the buffalo soldiers, the first Black regular army units in US history, established by Congress in 1866.
Coit Tower, Narrated by Mayor Daniel Lurie
Daniel Lurie is San Francisco’s 46th Mayor. He has focused on public safety, building housing, getting people off the streets and on a path to stability, and San Francisco’s long-term economic recovery. He honors the murals in San Francisco’s Coit Tower, which portray the lives and histories of everyday Americans.
New Amsterdam, Narrated by Mayor Zohran Mamdani
Zohran Mamdani is the 112th Mayor of the City of New York. He previously represented the 36th New York State Assembly District and its neighborhoods of Astoria, Ditmars-Steinway, and Astoria Heights. Here, Mamdani recounts the history of the colony that, in 1665, would become New York.
Appalachian Trail, Narrated by Tyler, Ryan, and Clay Hereth
The Brothers Three—Tyler, Ryan, and Clay Hereth—completed a southbound thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail together July 16 to November 22, 2011. Their history of the Appalachian Trail is a reminder of the importance of volunteerism and environmental stewardship.
Roberto Clemente, Narrated by Amna Nawaz
Award-winning journalist Amna Nawaz is co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS News Hour. Her reporting spans politics, foreign affairs, immigration, culture and sports. Nawaz profiles Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican baseball legend whose brilliance on the field was matched by the humanitarianism that led to his tragic death.
Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike, Narrated by Representative Justin Pearson
Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson is a prominent progressive American activist and politician best known for being the co-founder of Memphis Community Against Pollution and as a member of the “Tennessee Three.” He is currently a candidate for U.S. Congress. Here he tells the story of the historic labor strike in 1968 that would be the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s final campaign.
Jerome Tiger, Narrated by Dana Tiger
Dana Tiger is an award-winning, internationally acclaimed artist known for her watercolors and acrylic paintings depicting the strength and determination of Native American women. Dana’s paintings are exhibited nationwide. She celebrates the legacy of her father, Jerome Tiger, a celebrated and influential Muscogee/Seminole artist.
Black Wall Street, Narrated by Kahlil Greene
Kahlil Greene, the “Gen-Z Historian,” is a well known digital educator, Peabody Award winner, and two-time Emmy nominee with an audience of over 50 million views across TikTok, Instagram, and author of History Can’t Hide on Substack. He recounts the history— including the destruction— of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, a prosperous African American community known as “Black Wall Street.”