Illinois unveils plans to celebrate 250 years of American independence
[December 04, 2025]
By Maggie Dougherty
CHICAGO — Gov. JB Pritzker joined the Illinois America 250 Commission at
Navy Pier Wednesday to announce plans for commemorating the upcoming
250th anniversary of American independence.
Commission members include volunteers from civic, nonprofit,
educational, arts and business spaces, as well as Native and tribal
leaders.
“We’re showcasing the way Illinoisians have, even before we became a
state and right up until now, made good on the ideals of the Declaration
of Independence,” Gabrielle Lyon, chair of the commission and executive
director of the nonprofit Illinois Humanities said, pulling out her
pocket copy of the Declaration.
“Our country, we’ve come a long way, and we have a long way to go to
make good on the promises in this little book,” Lyon added. “1776, 1976
left out a lot of voices. In 2026, Illinois America 250 is really
working to invite everyone in.”
Uplifting local stories
The initiative will center programming on uplifting local stories across
the state. It will include a youth art contest, an archival project to
record residents’ reflections on the 250th anniversary in the Library of
Congress, and a statewide engagement effort around volunteering, which
will commence on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Lyon said the commission had seen lots of excitement about the
programming, with 200 organizations signing up as partners and 68
counties involved in planning. Hundreds of museums, cultural
institutions and historic sites are also hosting events tied to the
anniversary, according to a news release from the governor’s office.
The state’s tourism office has partnered with the Department of Natural
Resources and the Illinois Association of Museums to create a keepsake
“passport” that will feature historic and culturally significant
locations across the state.
Tribal recognition
Some of the focus will be on recognizing tribal histories and
contributions that predate the Declaration. That effort will be led in
part by commission member Dorene Wiese, a member of the White Earth
Ojibwe Nation and chief executive officer of the American Indian
Association of Illinois.
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IDorene Wiese, White Earth Ojibwe Nation member and chief executive
officer of the American Indian Association of Illinois talks about
the commission’s plans to highlight contributions of tribal members
during a Dec. 3 news conference at Navy Pier. (Capitol News Illinois
photo by Maggie Dougherty)
Wiese announced she will be working with Illinois Humanities over the
coming year to bring stories from her tribe’s history on the road to
locations throughout the state.
“This period of time in history is a period where all of us have the
opportunity to study the many different tribes that were in this country
before the United States was formed,” Wiese said.
Wiese also highlighted the cultural contributions of present-day tribal
members.
“We have such incredible artists and oral historians and writers and
filmmakers, photographers,” Wiese said. “We would like people to
discover them and also they would like to share their gifts with you.”
Tourism and art
The commission also hopes the programs will bring more tourism dollars
into the state, continuing a trend from last year, in which nearly 113
million people visited Illinois, about a half a million more than the
prior year. Those visitors spent a record $48.5 million dollars,
according to Catie Sheehan, deputy director of the Illinois Office of
Tourism.
“That’s a lot of deep-dish pizza and Abe Lincoln souvenirs,” Sheehan
said.
Nora Daley, chair of the Illinois Arts Council and daughter of former
Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley, announced that the council would be
investing $300,000 for 20 public art projects across the state. Each
project is intended to honor the history of the state.
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