America250 sets its sights on Arkansas

WASHINGTON — Rosie Rios remembers celebrating the United States’ bicentennial as a child.

As an 11-year-old living in the San Francisco Bay Area, she can recall singing patriotic songs with friends and watching tall ships sail around New York City and Boston on her family’s black-and-white television. A cloudy Independence Day night couldn’t even hamper Rios’ experience celebrating America’s founding.

“Boy, those fireworks really made a profound impact on me,” she said.

Now Rios, who served as treasurer under President Barack Obama, finds herself in a position to spark Americans’ love for their country leading America250, a nonpartisan commission formed to guide the effort to celebrate the United States’ semi-quincentennial, culminating in 2026.

“This isn’t just an event; this is an experience,” Rios, 58, told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “It’s a journey that I think as a country we’ve never taken before.”

America250 formally launched July 4 during a major-league baseball game between the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers at Milwaukee’s American Family Field. Rios said the kickoff allowed people to start learning about the celebration and translate that recognition into recognizing personal and state contributions to American history.

Rios compared her story to those of other Americans; her parents migrated from Mexico in 1958 as her father took a job at the Hunt’s tomato factory in Hayward, Calif.

“It’s also about how these unique threads come together to create the fabric of our culture,” she said of the celebration.

America250 has set a goal of partnering with all states and territories to form organizations to develop comprehensive programming and events celebrating each area’s impact on American history. According to an America250 spokesperson on Wednesday, 40 states and territories have formed commissions or similar bodies

“We can’t forget the Little Rock Nine. We can’t forget Hattie Caraway, the first female senator. How amazing is that?”

— Rosie Rios

for leading directed planning and coordinating with national leaders.

“This is about storytelling more than anything,” Rios said.

Rios mentioned there have been conversations between America250 and Arkansas leaders about forming a commission, but the state has not yet created such a body.

“Arkansas has its own very unique set of historical milestones,” she said. “We can’t forget the Little Rock Nine. We can’t forget Hattie Caraway, the first female senator. How amazing is that?”

The Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism declined an interview request from the Democrat-Gazette regarding possible progress in forming a commission.

“This culture in Arkansas has to be shared,” Rios said.

“We are relying on the states to be able to articulate their stories and work with us to make sure we can amplify them as much as possible. Hopefully, in the end, we will be able to coordinate all of the efforts, whether it’s on a master calendar, interactive map, etc., so that people can point to their county in Arkansas and know what is happening all things 250.”

Cassandra Coleman, executive director of Pennsylvania’s America250 commission, said planning for events in the commonwealth began shortly after state political leaders approved America250PA’s creation in 2018. The body was the first to partner with the national America250 campaign in 2021.

“This is an opportunity really to dig in and for states to really try to highlight, package up and put a spotlight on some of these untold stories, and make your own residents aware of the history and the amazing impact your state or commonwealth has had on national history,” she said.

For Coleman, one untold story involves the Dennis Farm, a black-owned farm in northeastern Pennsylvania settled by Prince Perkins, a free man, in 1793. Perkins’ descendants, the Dennis family, continue to manage the 153-acre site.

“I grew up in that general area of Pennsylvania and never knew about this story, this rich history and this gem that was truly our backyard,” she said. “We are hoping, again, through our 250th anniversary, here’s one story that we can highlight.”

The timing of bicentennial and semi-quincentennial anniversaries share an unintentional theme: nationwide division. The 1976 events occurred in the wake of Richard Nixon’s resignation from the presidency and the Vietnam War’s conclusion. Inflation and an economic recession negatively affected Gerald Ford’s time in the White House.

As America250 organizers continue their efforts, the U.S. House of Representatives is fresh from the speakership battle that led to Kevin McCarthy’s ouster. President Joe Biden’s approval numbers have sunk, but the president remains dedicated to his bid for a second term. The Republican front-runner for the presidency, former President Donald Trump, continues to support false claims regarding the 2020 election outcome and his loss.

“[1976] was a tough time, but I don’t remember the turmoil as a kid. I remember the bicentennial,” Rios said.

“People ask me all the time, ‘How do you know if you are successful?’ My answer remains the same: I’ll know we’re successful if as many Americans as possible feel like this is the land of opportunity all over again.

“That has to be felt in Little Rock. That has to be felt, I say, from Fairbanks to Philadelphia.”