WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the country marks the Fourth of July and prepares for America’s 250th anniversary, Resistance Rangers is releasing a new podcast episode calling on the public to rethink what America 250 should celebrate — and whose stories are being left out.
The episode, “The Unofficial Birthday – Rethinking America 250,” is available now on the Resistance Rangers website and Spotify.
At a moment when the Trump administration is advancing a whitewashed version of American history, Resistance Rangers are asking a different question: What would America 250 look like if it told the full story?
The release follows recent national coverage from NPR, which reported that former national park rangers are organizing teach-ins and sharing histories the Trump administration has sought to erase from federal land as the country approaches its 250th anniversary. The coverage highlights Resistance Rangers as part of a growing public response to efforts to sanitize national park interpretation and suppress difficult but essential histories.
America’s story did not begin in 1776. Long before independence, this land was home to thriving Indigenous Nations with rich cultures, systems of governance, and deep histories. And for many people — including Indigenous communities and enslaved Black Americans — 1776 did not mark the beginning of freedom, but the continuation of dispossession, enslavement, exclusion, and injustice.
In this July 4 episode of Resistance Rangers on the Air, former and current park rangers explore the contradictions behind official America 250 celebrations, the gap between the country’s founding ideals and lived realities, and why public lands must preserve more than beautiful landscapes. They also hold layered histories of resilience, resistance, survival, and the ongoing pursuit of justice.
“Public lands preserve more than scenery. They hold the full story of America — including the stories of Indigenous Nations, enslaved Black Americans, workers, immigrants, and communities whose struggles made the promise of democracy more real,” said Melissa Dalley, a Resistance Ranger and former park guide at the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in upstate New York. “As the country prepares for America 250, we can’t settle for fireworks and pageantry. We have to ask what it means to remember the fuller, more honest American story, to reflect on who we really are, and where that might take us.”
WHAT: Release of “The Unofficial Birthday – Rethinking America 250,” a new July 4 podcast episode from Resistance Rangers on the Air
WHEN: Available now
WHERE: Resistance Rangers On the Air
WHO: Resistance Rangers spokespeople available for interviews
WHY: To challenge narrow America 250 narratives and call for a fuller, more honest commemoration of the country’s layered history
The episode invites listeners to look beyond official celebrations and reflect on the histories that deserve to be remembered — not erased.
Listen: Website link
Instagram Reel: Instagram link
Resistance Rangers is a network of current and former public lands workers, historians, educators, and allies working to defend public lands, public service, and the full American story. Through storytelling, organizing, and public education, Resistance Rangers lifts up the histories, science, and lived experiences that belong in our national parks and public lands.
Let’s get everyone to take the pledge and become Junior Resistance Rangers this summer – folks from 50 states, 5 territories, and DC!
Take the pledge, download, and complete the Junior Resistance Ranger book.
Visit one of the 433 National Park Service (NPS) sites. Not sure what NPS sites are near you? See our list of the 433+ NPS sites, sortable by state/region.
At the park, snap a photo or video of your book and share it on social media with these hashtags: #JRResistanceRangers #America433.
Now you’ve earned your badge! Send in your photo or short video of your Junior Resistance Rangers book at a park and we will mail you your badge.
Cue the fireworks and cheers, it’s our 250th birthday! But let’s be real, there’s more to our story than just everything 1776 and after. Join us for a minute as we talk about what we’re missing and what we might include.
Y’all be safe out there, and don’t forget to hydrate!
Learn more at resistancerangers.org
Music:
Tech Oasis – “Marching Together”
John Philip Sousa’s
– “America First”
– “The Honored Dead”
– “Stars and Stripes Forever” (as mangled by Partly Cloudy)
Bodytonic – “Are We Loose Yet”
Barstool – “Lumber Down”
