250 to 250

@250to250.bsky.social

A series of one-minute stories of the many people, places, and events that have built our country and remind us of the power of each person to make history. #WeAreAmerica250

Mariska Hargitay is an award–winning actress, producer, and director and the founder of the Joyful Heart Foundation, dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse. Hargitay proudly commemorates the 1994 Violence Against Women Act. #WeAreAmerica250

As the nation gears up for the 2026 midterm elections, we are drawing a line beneath the first phase of the 250 to 250 project. Thank you for watching, sharing, correcting, contributing, and supporting us this summer. Until next time! https://youtu.be/B-tBlDQYNms?si=7cIP7W7CZmYc7hgT

250 to 250

From the time of our country’s founding 250 years ago, the story of America has been one of the constant efforts of Americans—from all races, ethnicities, ge...

youtu.be

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is a lawyer, an author, and a staunch advocate for women, children, and families, she is an active force for progress and human rights. She recalls Eleanor Roosevelt’s role in creating The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. #WeAreAmerica250

Chuck Cooper III is President and CEO of the Chuck Cooper Foundation, which honors and carries forward the legacy of his father, Hall of Famer Chuck Cooper, the first African American drafted into the NBA. He celebrates the life of activist and athlete, basketball’s Bill Russell. #WeAreAmerica250

Lina Khan served as chair of the FTC from June 2021 to January 2025. She teaches and writes about antitrust law, infrastructure industries law, the antimonopoly tradition, and law and political economy. She captures the complicated story of America’s first transcontinental railroad. #WeAreAmerica

Thavolia Glymph is an author and a professor of history and law at Duke University. Signed by Lincoln on January 1, 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all enslaved people fighting against the Union were legally free and allowed black men to join the Union Army. #WeAreAmerica250

Colin Makoto Craig is a fourth generation veteran who served in the US Air Force. With the G.I. Bill, he graduated from Cornell University and is a JD candidate at St John's University. Craig examines how the bill reshaped postwar America. #WeAreAmerica250

Award-winning Senior writer at Slate, Aymann Ismail is an author, and president of the Arab and Middle Eastern Journalists Association. His work has appeared in the NYT and GQ, and on CNN and NPR. He tells the story of the oldest mosque in the US, in the tiny town of Ross, North Dakota. #WeAreAmeri

Christopher D. Mitchell is a retired health care marketing, communications consultant, and educator. Mitchell celebrates South Dakota's Corn Palace, the last of the Midwest's grain palaces and a distinctly American blend of art, agriculture, and civic pride. #WeAreAmerica250

Nicholas Stubblefield, a proud former member of the HCR posse, is a writer and stand-up comedian based in in Boston. He's won awards, though none that you've heard of. He celebrates landscape architect, author, conservationist and public servant, Frederick Law Olmsted. #WeAreAmerica250

Dr. David Erickson, senior vice president at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, leads a team focused on community development. Alexander Hamilton’s work laid the foundation for central banking in the United States and, eventually, for the Federal Reserve. #WeAreAmerica250

Kahlil Greene, the “Gen-Z Historian,” is a Peabody Award winner, two-time Emmy nominee, and author of “History Can’t Hide” on Substack. He recounts the history of Tulsa, Oklahoma’s Greenwood District, a prosperous African American community known as “Black Wall Street.” #WeAreAmeric

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. She celebrates the legacy of her father, Jerome Tiger, a celebrated and influential Muscogee/Seminole artist. #WeAreAme

Tennessee State Representative Justin Pearson is a prominent progressive American activist and politician. He is a candidate for U.S. Congress. He tells the story of the historic labor strike in 1968 that would be Dr. Martin Luther King's final campaign. #WeAreAmerica250

Award-winning journalist Amna Nawaz is co-anchor and co-managing editor of the PBS News Hour. Nawaz profiles Roberto Clemente, the Puerto Rican baseball legend whose brilliance on the field was matched by the humanitarianism that cost him his life. #WeAreAmerica250

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. #WeAreAmerica250

Senator Jack Reed from Rhode Island is Ranking Member of the Armed Services Committee, a West Point graduate, and Army veteran. This is the story of the First Rhode Island Regiment, widely recognized as America’s first Black military regiment. #WeAreAmerica250

American soprano Melissa Givens is an Associate Professor at Pomona College, a frequent recitalist and clinician and sings with Grammy winning Conspirare. Givens tells the story of Marian Anderson’s historic performance on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1939. #WeAreAmerica250

Stacey Abrams is a New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and political leader. Abrams profiles W.E.B. Du Bois, the pioneering scholar and activist who co-founded the Niagara Movement and helped build the NAACP's fight for equality. #WeAreAmerica250

Katie Couric is an award-winning journalist, #1 NYT bestselling author, and the first woman to solo anchor a network evening newscast. Couric profiles Nellie Bly, a pioneer of investigative journalism whose undercover exposé drove reform in mental health facilities. #WeAreAmerica250

The executive director of @eji.org, Bryan Stevenson is a public interest lawyer who has dedicated his career to helping the poor, the incarcerated, and the condemned. Here, he recounts the displacement of millions who fled the dangers and violence of the Jim Crow-era South. #WeAreAmerica250

Slaid Cleaves is a Texas-based singer/songwriter whose music is rooted in traditional country and folk. He has put out highly-acclaimed records for 25 years. Cleaves profiles Johnny Cash, the "Man in Black" whose songs of rebels and outsiders made him a champion for the voiceless. #WeAreAmerica250