What Does It Mean To Honor America’s 250th?

What does it mean to honor the 250th anniversary of America? It will take more than just a BBQ over a weekend in July.

For Texans, we know the value of independence best, as the only state that was once its own country, and also as the state that independence reached last, a fact which is triumphantly celebrated every Juneteenth. 

250 years. Some say that empires end around this period, and though the history of Texas exists beyond modern constructions of the American identity and certainly beyond its modern borders, Texas has been and continues to be at the forefront of this fight for democracy. 

Our state has produced leaders that shaped history: including President Lyndon Baines Johnson who cemented critical civil rights legislation, Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, Governor Ann Richards, Congressman Henry B. Gonzalez, and activists like Juanita J. Craft, Emma Tenayuca, and Alonso S. Perales (co-founder of LULAC). 

250 years. That amount of time has allowed the vision of a representative, people-powered democracy to grow; but we all know that over this period of time, the doors to democracy have been barred shut for many. 

• 161 years. That’s how long Black Texans have been free from enslavement in writing, but not practice for years later. 
• 61 years since the Civil Rights Act passed and Black Texans could vote. 
• 106 years that women (white women) could vote.
• And so many barriers to this foundational right still exist today, preventing every Texan and American from actualizing this government for all.

Fort Bend County Commissioner and candidate for County Judge, Dexter McCoy, spoke on what it means to put people-power to the test, and shared a history lesson at the 2026 Texas Democratic Convention, saying:

“I love me some Texas, but I also know this: that power has a strange way of protecting itself. It always has. And history teaches us that when power goes unchecked, it’s ordinary people like you and me that pay the price.” McCoy continued, after painting a picture of corruption, back room deals, and where the right to vote stands post-redistricting, saying “Folks, that ain’t democracy, that ain’t Texan, and it sure ain’t Fort Bend. Because Fort Bend has always fought corruption and won. 

When others tried to silence Black voters after Fort Bend was the first to elect a Black sheriff and state representative during Reconstruction, two Fort Bend residents took the fight all the way to the United States Supreme Court and ended whites-only primaries across this country. 

So to those corrupt politicians trying to silence Black and Brown voters, come here [waves his hand closer] I got a message for you. Black and Brown Texans are not going anywhere because we built this. So to my Black and Brown Texans, to my Asian and Latino Texans, and to my white brothers and sisters, if Fort Bend can fight and win: Texas can fight and win.”

From the first days of this country dedicated to a new democracy, to 250 years later, we can be proud of multiracial, modern victories of the Civil Rights, Labor, Womens, and LGBTQIA+ movements: setting stones in the path toward a fully realized, representative democracy. 

However, that path has been jackhammered by the current administration, threatening the American promise and people, while censoring those trying to uphold truth and justice: from PBS to CBS to CNN. Independent media protects an independent nation, free from the rule of tyrants, tycoons, and technocrats who believe they can usurp the power of the people. 

So whether you’re celebrating progress made on July 4th, 1776, or progress made from July 4th, 2026 and beyond, know this: you can protect liberty and justice for all by choosing to invest in pro-democracy, pro-justice, pro-gressive storytelling, delivered by Texans, for Texans.