Wendy Gladney
Upland, CA — I am not interested in rewriting history to make people feel guilty. Nor am I interested in rewriting history to make people comfortable. I am interested in preserving history, so people understand the sacrifices, struggles, faith, and perseverance that helped build this country. History lives in people. Not just presidents, monuments, or documents. My paternal grandmother’s father, a little boy named William “Buck” Reed, was born into slavery and lived to see freedom. On my maternal side, I come from German immigrants who crossed an ocean carrying their faith and hope for a better future. Remembering is an act of respect. When we remember our ancestors, we honor them. When we tell their stories, we preserve them. When we erase their stories, we diminish their sacrifices.
As America prepares to celebrate its 250th Anniversary, communities across the nation will gather to reflect on our history, honor our heritage, volunteer in our neighborhoods, and recommit ourselves to the ideals upon which this nation was founded. The anniversary commemorates the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and invites Americans to reflect upon the journey that has brought us to this moment. For many, it will be a time of celebration. For others, it will be a time of reflection. For me, it is both. I am proud to be an American. I am proud of the freedoms we enjoy, the opportunities that have been afforded to generations of families, and the resilience that has defined our nation through wars, economic hardship, social upheaval, and moments of extraordinary triumph. But freedom for many has not come free. We must be mindful of America’s entire history, good and bad.
America’s history includes extraordinary achievements and painful chapters. It includes the courage of the Founding Fathers and the courage of those who fought to expand the promise of freedom to all Americans. It includes immigrants who arrived with little more than hope and enslaved people who were tortured but built lives despite unimaginable obstacles. All of these stories belong to America. As our nation approaches this milestone anniversary, I believe we must resist the temptation to tell a simplified version of our history. We do not strengthen America by erasing stories. We strengthen America by understanding them and keeping them alive.
I am a woman of mixed heritage, and my family’s story reminds me that America has never been represented by a single narrative. As I mentioned above, on my paternal side, one of my great-grandfather’s was William “Buck” Reed. Born around 1861 in Texas, he entered this world as a slave. As a young child, he witnessed one of the most significant transformations in American history, the end of slavery and the beginning of freedom. His story is part of the American story. On my mother’s side, my family came to America from Germany in the early 1900s. They arrived as Lutheran ministers and people of faith, seeking opportunity and contributing to the spiritual and civic life of their communities. Their story is also part of the American story. When I look at my family tree, I do not see two competing histories. I see one American family. History does not have to be about assigning blame, but it should be about preserving truth.
Every generation has the responsibility to tell the stories of those who came before them. If we fail to tell those stories, we risk losing not only our understanding of the past but also our appreciation for the progress that has been made. The story of civil rights, women’s rights, immigrants’ rights, Indigenous peoples, and the story of Black Americans all matter. The story of every family that helped build this nation matters. Progress has never been automatic. It has always required courage, sacrifice, service, and citizens willing to believe that change is possible.
I often remind people that you cannot move confidently into the future if you do not understand where you came from. The same is true for a nation. As America turns two hundred and fifty, may we remember all the stories that built us. May we tell them truthfully. May we preserve them faithfully. And may we continue the unfinished work of building a nation where every person can contribute, belong, and thrive. My hope is that future generations will know not only the history found in textbooks, but the history that lives around kitchen tables, in family photographs, and in the stories passed from one generation to the next. Those stories matter. They always have and they always will.
Wendy is the Purpose Partner helping women go from Crossroads to Confidence, from Shaken to Unshakable, from Purpose to Power. To learn more visit WendyGladney.com and ForgivingForLiving.org.
