GBH’s America 250 Initiative Honors the Truth of America’s History

Marking the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding is as big, varied, and complex as America itself — that’s why GBH’s Debra Adams Simmons, Editor-in-Chief of Special Editorial Projects, is managing the multiple threads of GBH’s America 250 initiative. A year-long effort to capture the stories that comprise this nation’s history in all its breadth, depth, and complexity, America 250 has enlisted the efforts of all of GBH’s national series and local services for the semiquincentennial.

Since Adams Simmons stepped into her role at GBH in 2023, her work has centered on the orchestration of multifaceted initiatives — from working groups on AI usage and newsletter strategy to complex events like GBH’s 2025 Media Summit. Now, she is working across the Foundation to expand GBH’s America 250 footprint. “The thing that keeps me inspired is telling untold stories and amplifying unheard voices,” she says. “When I look back at my whole career [in journalism], that’s always been at the heart of it.”

We sat down with Adams Simmons to talk about the goals of America 250 and what audiences can expect from the initiative.

What are the aims of America 250?

America 250 is the story of our history, but also where we are in the present moment, and where we’re headed. I think back to the Bicentennial (in 1976) — it was a big moment of celebration. The complicated history of America’s founding didn’t receive as much attention.

What’s distinctive about America 250, particularly in this fraught political environment, is that we have an opportunity to reflect upon founding ideals, challenge how well we’ve lived up to them, and make a more accurate historical record of how the country has evolved. That puts us in a better position to talk about how we arrived here and what we can do to strengthen democracy for the next generation.

It seems as ambitious as it is comprehensive. What is the scope of the initiative?

There are four pillars to the America 250 initiative. Content means creating mission-aligned storytelling on all of our platforms. Convening includes thought leadership events, educational gatherings, public conversations, and civic dialogue. Collaboration involves strategic partnerships to extend our reach, and Community results in increasing civic engagement and using our platforms to amplify more voices in this moment.

We know that in this moment, our founding principles — particularly the First Amendment — are under attack and that the future of democracy is being tested. As such, we will continue to play a role in the discussion of media and democracy. Across these pillars, our efforts are focused on presenting a more complete American story and delivering this to our audiences wherever they are.

America 250-related work falls under all of GBH’s units and involves plenty of community partnerships in each of those areas. From our flagship series to GBH News and WORLD to a broad range of digital-first storytelling, we’re developing content that explores democracy, freedom, unfinished business, and untold stories.

For example, the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE team offers a fresh look at history, including a poll for participants to vote on the greatest speeches in American history. NOVA’s upcoming film Athens: Birth of Democracy provides a foundation for understanding the evolution of democracy.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW has a special program devoted to 250 Years of Americana. Educational programming is a huge piece of the initiative, with GBH Kids’ America’s Awesome Kids, a series of live-action shorts, premiering in May.

In addition, GBH News has launched an ongoing series From Colony to Commonwealth. The Culture Show and The Curiosity Desk have regular America 250 features as well. There are myriad events, including book readings with historians, community screenings of Ken Burns’ American Revolution series, live music performances, and more. A highlight this summer will be CRB’s broadcast of Philip Glass’ world premiere of his Symphony No. 15, Lincoln, at Tanglewood on July 5. I’m also looking forward to the programming we’re planning at our Studio at the Boston Public Library because it invites the local community to participate in this important national moment. And there’s so much more. Our content will enlighten our audience about the past and connect history to the current moment.

Why is it crucial that public media and GBH share these stories?

The American story is a broad and complicated one. Given GBH’s history and credibility with our audience, I think we’re in a key position to expand the story. Journalism is a public trust. We are in a position to examine issues and challenge perceptions, making people more informed and their lives, potentially, better.

As the birthplace of the American Revolution, Massachusetts is at the center of a national milestone at a time when the country is at an inflection point. We have an opportunity to explore the past, to provide historical context for where we are today, and to lead a discussion about our future. This is a moment for reflection, but also for dialogue and civic engagement. Massachusetts 250 is a statewide initiative with many events and activities, conversations and celebrations, and we’re proud to be involved in that effort, too.

How would you describe your role at GBH and in the initiative?

“Editor-in-Chief of Special Editorial Projects” means a broad range of things. I’m creating an umbrella for all of our coverage to get the greatest value that we can out of the work we produce. This means working internally to imagine the content, developing strategic partnerships externally to expand what we can do and who we can reach, and maximizing our projects and spaces to invite citizens to participate. The 250th is a moment of reflection, for education, for truth-telling and for dialogue.

GBH has lots of departments doing their own distinct work, producing a huge volume of content, and planning many projects and events. My job is to figure out how we can get more bang for our buck collectively, making an impact greater than the sum of our parts.

“Sharing untold stories” is a phrase you’ve returned to time and again when describing this initiative. Why is that so central to America 250?

There are so many stories that have not been considered. We want to tell a more complete story of this country, and for people to see themselves in America 250. This is a moment for reflection and reframing, an opportunity for dialogue and engagement with one another.

We’re doing our part, working with Mass Humanities on a series of mini-docs, to make sure the Indigenous experience in Massachusetts during the American Revolution is covered thoroughly in the stories we tell. And it’s important to recognize that the experience isn’t a monolith.

There’s also this belief that few Black people were in Massachusetts during the Revolution. We know that’s not true. Crispus Attucks was one of the first people to die in the build-up to the Revolution. So if there is a story to tell about African Americans — not just in Boston, but across Massachusetts and New England — GBH is well-positioned to tell it.

What, ultimately, are your hopes for the next year of this initiative?

We want to draw people in — we want to educate them, involve them, not lecture to them. We want people to watch our shows and films, come to our events, and participate in the discussions. It’s important for our community, locally and nationally, to be engaged in this conversation about protecting and promoting democracy. We want everyone to see the important role each of us plays in framing the solutions and shaping the next 250 years for our nation.

I’m confident that the work we’re doing today will be part of an archive that explores the evolution of American democracy. 

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Follow past, current, and upcoming America 250 programming and events on our America 250 page, and sign up for The Deep Dive newsletter which will highlight new America 250 content throughout the year.