This letter was originally published by The Boston Globe.
In his consideration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, Mark Feeney notes that the semiquincentennial is barely a blip on the radar of corporations, advertisers, or the general public (“You say you want a Revolution? Then again, maybe you don’t,” Sunday Arts, Aug. 31). This is due in part, he writes, to the lack of photographs from the period or of new artwork that reinterprets our national origin story. In our image-driven society, the Revolution fizzles without provocative portraits or monuments.
Or not. “Maybe the real reason,” writes Feeney in his concluding sentence, “is that we’re afraid of it.” Unfortunately, he does not tell us why anyone should be afraid of a commemoration, only that revisiting phrases like “All men are created equal” feels too serious and complicated.
Exactly. Our only hope, however, is not a new documentary by Ken Burns. Instead, we should embrace the innovative work of local people — our historical sites, museums, educators, and community spaces — who are frenetically preparing for 2026. A sample can be found on the state’s massachusetts250.org website. Whole columns could be dedicated to the question of why we ignore that work or what it would mean to embrace it. In November, Mass Humanities will announce more than 30 new projects that examine the lasting, complicated promises of the Revolution in Massachusetts.
One prominent person is very fixated on the 250th: the current occupant of the White House. Masters of the news cycle, Donald Trump and his administration are crafting commissions, executive orders, and grand events to ensure that one individual’s face is front and center during 2026. It would be both ironic and tragic if we spend the next few months ignoring our neighbors and bemoaning the lack of striking imagery, only to cede the space to one man.
Brian Boyles
Executive director
Mass Humanities
Holyoke
