While a group of founding fathers of the United States got together to write the Declaration of Independence in 1776, a new national movement wants the next 250 years of the country’s future to be guided by a declaration that includes more diverse voices.
With a sign that said “create with me” in English and Spanish, Joey Battaglia invited community members from Connecticut to join his interactive mural depicting people’s vision for the future.
He drew on poster boards phrases like, “empowered communities,” “proper funding,” and “diverse voices” inside geometric shapes and clouds.
Battaglia is a Hartford resident and the founder of Hip Hop for the Homeless, an organization that raises funds for the homeless through rap concerts. He was one of many community organizers at a town hall event in Hartford Wednesday for a national movement called Next250.
Next250 is an initiative centered around the upcoming 250th anniversary of the United States’ Declaration of Independence. It aims to unite Americans around a set of values in a new Declaration of Interdependence, created through a series of listening sessions with U.S. residents.
“I think the theme of the Next250 is how many different folks and how many different cultures have felt voiceless and have felt like they haven't had the opportunity to share dreams of their future,” Battaglia said. “The hope is we do create a reality where that exists.”
His interactive mural will join Next250 on its ongoing tour to connect with community groups in various cities ahead of the country’s Independence Day anniversary.
“The hope is that they continually bring it to all their events as a thing for people to feel encouragement from,” Battaglia said, “and hopefully foster some inspiration.”
Safe, free, healthy, thriving
“We believe that we don't need independence, we need interdependence,” Next250 organizer Linda Sarsour said. “We live in a moment where we need one another.”
Sarsour said the Next250 declaration of interdependence is a living document capturing the shared values and principles of Americans, particularly those from underrepresented communities.
Next250 conducted over 40 listening sessions over the past year with over 2,500 people from various impacted communities.
“Anywhere from black students in Newark, New Jersey, black women in Mississippi, Muslim Americans in Tennessee, trans Latinas in Los Angeles,” Sarsour said.
According to Sarsour, there are five issues that the majority of Americans agree on: liveable wages, sensible gun reform, climate, healthcare and reproductive rights, and the right to vote.
It boiled down to “safety and dignity and respect,” Sarsour said. “People want to thrive. People want to be able to take care of their families.”
‘Just to see my people right here is more valuable’
Connecticut community members added to the conversation during a panel discussion at the town hall.
Youth leaders called for more space at the policy-making table for students, especially Black and brown students. Shineika Fareus with the Connecticut Black and Brown Student Union and Khloé Lawson with the Citywide Action Coalition in New Haven agreed that young people needed to be able to voice their thoughts about decisions that would impact their futures.
Connecticut's Deputy Secretary of the State Jennifer Barahona encouraged community members to show up at town hall and committees. She said people should speak up, “even if your voice shakes.”
Teresa Quintana with the immigrant rights group Make the Road Connecticut called for language justice, saying that true democracy needs to make policy-related meetings accessible with language interpretation, so all voices are heard.
Audience members also spoke on the importance of people power to carry forth momentum in the movement, and public libraries which provide resources to all.
The theme that panelists and the applauding audience agreed on as a key Connecticut value was community.
Khaiim the RapOet summed it up in his rap performance when he said, “Just to see my people right here is more valuable than all of the jewelry that we could wear.”
Road trip to Independence Day
Next250 is planning a massive gathering in Washington D.C. on June 27, one week before July 4.
“We have the responsibility to develop a new contract for this country,” Sarsour said. “That means we have to move differently in the current political moment, but also for the future.”
Sarsour said the group is willing to offer bus transportation to help Connecticut organizations bring their membership down to the event at the nation’s Capitol.
Until then, the Next250 is heading to New York for its next town hall. Sarsour said they’ll continue to give people a new sense of purpose and encourage them to sign their names to the declaration of interdependence.
“There will come a better day,” Sarsour said. “We will survive just like our ancestors survived before us.”
