By Eloge Willy Kaneza
A delegation from Maine traveled overnight by bus to Washington, D.C., to join more than 1,000 participants at the Next250: All of Us mobilization on Saturday, June 27, in McPherson Square.
The trip was organized by the Carolina Peace Center, which brought participants from Maine to the national gathering. The event took place as official activities marking the nation’s upcoming 250th anniversary were underway elsewhere in the capital. Organizers said the mobilization was intended to encourage public discussion about the country’s future through themes of democracy, belonging and civic participation.
Amjambo Africa covered the event from Washington, where civil rights organizations, faith leaders, labor advocates, Indigenous representatives, artists, students and families gathered for a day of speeches, cultural performances and community activities.
McPherson Square, located a few blocks from the White House, had a visible police presence throughout the day. The event remained peaceful as volunteers distributed food and water and attendees gathered between speeches and performances.
The program opened with a ceremony led by representatives of the Piscataway Nation, who offered prayers, drumming and traditional songs while emphasizing the long history of Indigenous peoples on the land now known as Washington, D.C.
The Morgan State University Choir later performed gospel and inspirational music before featured speakers took the stage.
One of the keynote speakers was Carmen Perez-Jordan, president and CEO of The Gathering for Justice and one of the principal organizers of the Next250 initiative.
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Perez-Jordan said the effort was the result of three years of planning that included consultations with organizations in 36 states, engagement with 25 Tribal Nations and conversations with more than 2,500 people about their hopes for the country’s future.
“We’re not simply reflecting on the past,” she said. “We are deciding what story the next generation will tell about us.”
She said those conversations revealed common concerns across communities.
“We heard stories of struggle and resilience,” Perez-Jordan said. “Parents hoping their children would inherit a better future. Workers trying to make ends meet. Young people wondering whether democracy could still keep its promises. But beneath every story, we heard the same human longing—to belong.”
Perez-Jordan also spoke about her family’s history, describing herself as the daughter of a Mexican immigrant and an Indigenous Chicano. She recounted how her father, at age 6, was deported with three generations of his U.S.-citizen family during mass deportations in the 1930s.
“I know that story too well because it was repeated to me for years so I would never forget,” she said.
Drawing on that history, Perez-Jordan encouraged participants to work toward a society where all people are treated with dignity.
“Belonging is not something we’re given,” she said. “Belonging is something we co-create every time we choose dignity over division, every time we choose courage over fear, every time we choose one another.”
She concluded by telling attendees, “If no one has told you lately, you belong. You are worthy. You are enough. You are beautiful.”
Switching briefly to Spanish, Perez-Jordan addressed Latino communities directly.
“This country is yours, too,” she said. “We have belonged, we belong, and we will continue building the future of this nation.”
Throughout the program, speakers discussed immigration, voting rights, labor issues, religious freedom and democratic participation. Several argued that democracy requires continued civic engagement and encouraged attendees to remain active in their communities.
A recurring message among speakers was that the country’s next chapter should include people of different backgrounds, cultures, religions and immigration statuses.
For members of the Maine delegation, the trip provided an opportunity to attend a national gathering focused on issues that also affect communities in their home state.
The event concluded in the afternoon following speeches, musical performances and cultural presentations. Participants from Maine later boarded buses for the overnight trip home.
