Week Ten in 250 to 250

Aug 03, 2026

This was the tenth week of videos from the 250 to 250 Project that we’re producing to honor the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Every week, I am humbled and honored by the people who have agreed to be part of this project. Many of them are old friends, some of them new. But that’s the point, I suppose: we wanted to create a project that emphasized that the United States of America is a community, and that together, any of us—all of us—can change the direction of the country.

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.

Declaration of Independence, Narrated by Heather Cox Richardson

Heather Cox Richardson is an award-winning historian and the author of Letters from an American. She’s the author of seven books, including the bestselling Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America. Richardson revisits the Declaration of Independence and the principles of equality and self-government that set America on the road to becoming “the last, best hope of Earth.”

Harlem Renaissance, Narrated by Dianne Johnson-Feelings

Dr. Dianne Johnson-Feelings is a professor of English at the University of South Carolina. As Dinah Johnson, she is the author of many picture books including H is for Harlem. Johnson-Feelings explores the Harlem Renaissance, the explosion of Black art, music, and literature that reshaped American culture in the early twentieth century.

Clara Barton, Narrated by Elizabeth R. Varon

Elizabeth R. Varon is an award-winning historian and the author of seven books on the Civil War era, including the forthcoming The Wars of Clara Barton: One Woman’s Fight for the Soul of America (July 2027). Varon profiles Clara Barton, the Civil War “angel of the battlefield” who founded the American Red Cross and championed women’s suffrage.

Melissa Ludtke, Narrated by Alex Coffey

Alex Coffey is a second-generation sportswriter known for her work for The Athletic and The Philadelphia Inquirer. Her stories were included in The Year’s Best Sports Writing in 2023 and 2024. Coffey tells how sportswriter Melissa Ludtke’s 1977 lawsuit won female journalists equal access to locker rooms and expanded opportunities for women in sports media.

Medicare and Medicaid Act, Narrated by Senator Andy Kim

Senator Andy Kim is an American politician and former diplomat known for being the first Korean American elected to the U.S. Senate and the first Asian American elected to federal office from New Jersey. Senator Kim works as a key defender against Medicare and Medicaid cuts and privatization while serving on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, as well as the Special Committee on Aging. Here, Senator Kim traces the road to Medicare and Medicaid, from Truman’s Fair Deal to Lyndon Johnson’s 1965 signing that expanded health coverage to millions.

Horace Mann, Narrated by Nicholas Ferroni

Nicholas Ferroni is a nationally recognized high school history and cultural studies teacher best known for his work as an advocate for students, education policy, teacher pay, and host of the award-winning series, "Historically Correct." Ferroni profiles Horace Mann, the reformer known as the father of America's public schools, who championed free, universal education as democracy's great equalizer.

Ralph Carr and Japanese Internment, Narrated by Jay Kuo

Jay Kuo is a composer, lyricist and two-time Tony winning Broadway producer. He is an appellate lawyer, the CEO of The Social Edge and the author of The Status Kuo, a daily Substack newsletter covering politics and law. Jay is the Chair-elect of the Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization. Kuo tells how Colorado governor Ralph Carr stood firm in defense of Japanese Americans during World War II internment, even as it cost him his political career.

Betty Ford, Narrated by Kate Barr

Kate Barr and her Can’t Win campaigns exposed gerrymandering; now YALLvote and the Can’t Win Victory Fund support down ballot candidates fighting rigged maps across the South. Here, Barr celebrates Betty Ford, the outspoken First Lady who broke taboos around breast cancer and addiction and transformed the role to fit her own voice.

Land Between the Lakes, Narrated by Jason Herbert

Dr. Jason Herbert is a historian, public scholar, and outdoorsman from Kentucky. Here, Herbert explores Kentucky and Tennessee’s Land Between the Lakes, a vast recreation area preserving centuries of natural and cultural history.

United Nations, Narrated by Linda Thomas-Greenfield

Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield is a highly respected American diplomat whose career spans over four decades and six presidential administrations. Thomas-Greenfield served as the 31st United States Ambassador to the United Nations, the 18th Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, U.S. Ambassador to Liberia, and State Department Director General. Thomas-Greenfield recounts the 1945 San Francisco Conference, where fifty nations founded the United Nations in hope of building a lasting postwar peace.

Flagler’s Overseas Railway, Narrated by Sara Wiles

Sara Wiles is a Florida native, activist, and content creator who uses her platforms to help everyday people better understand, connect with, and act on the political issues shaping their lives and communities. Wiles tells how Henry Flagler defied his critics to build the “impossible” Overseas Railroad to Key West, transforming the future of Florida.

Joseph Pulitzer, Narrated by Connie Schultz

Connie Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, journalism professor, and author of the New York Times bestselling novel, The Daughters of Erietown who writes a weekly Substack newsletter, Hopefully Yours. Schultz profiles Joseph Pulitzer, the immigrant publisher who shaped the modern American newspaper and lent his name to journalism’s most prestigious prize.

Letters from an American

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