We've never really been a Fourth of July brand. And this year? I wasn't exactly feeling celebratory. Every idea felt performative. Every embroidered flag idea felt loaded. Every conversation seemed to end with me asking the same question:
"What exactly are we celebrating?"
The meeting didn't end particularly well.
One point, however, stuck with me. "It's the 250th anniversary of our country," someone said. "People are looking for ways to make sense of this moment." I went home and thought about that.
The next morning I called the two people I knew would help me find an answer: Kris Cravens-Hutton (of Kris & Dave) and artist Diana Weymar (of Tiny Pricks Project). Maybe part of me wanted to come back to the team with a great idea. But the bigger truth is that I realized I wanted a reason to celebrate, too. I think a lot of us do.
The Knicks reminded New Yorkers what collective joy feels like. For a few weeks, strangers talked to one another. We high-fived people on the subway. We remembered that optimism can be contagious. It felt, in its own way, like an act of resistance. I realized that's what I had been missing.
Talking with Kris and Diana reminded me that there are so many extraordinary people doing the work every day. Thoughtful people. Creative people. People refusing to give up on one another or on this country. Those are the Americans I want to celebrate.
If you've followed Lingua Franca for a while, you probably know Diana's work. We met nearly ten years ago when she began stitching political quotes onto vintage textiles. Over the years, Tiny Pricks Project has grown into one of the most remarkable community-driven art projects in America.
Lately, Diana's work has evolved beyond documenting politics. She's been stitching words that remind us who we can be, drawing inspiration from writers, journalists, astronauts, artists, activists, and everyday citizens whose optimism feels radical in its own right. That's when it clicked.
Instead of celebrating America as an idea, why not celebrate Americans who inspire?
At almost the same time, Kris introduced me to Chorus, a nonprofit I somehow hadn't heard of before but now feel confident in saying that everyone reading this should be supporting. Chorus is building a community of creators who believe the internet can strengthen civic culture instead of tearing it apart. At a moment when so much of our public conversation happens online, that felt not only necessary but hopeful.
Today, I'm incredibly proud to say that Lingua Franca, Tiny Pricks Project, and Chorus are coming together to celebrate 250 years of American creativity, courage, civic imagination, and the people still fighting to make this country better.
Dozens of the nearly 200 Chorus creators helped design and inspire our collection together. Diana created her third Tiny Pricks installation at our townhouse at 95 Jane St. Kris & Dave are back with some of everyone's favorite pieces. We've created limited-edition Chorus "power to the people" sweatshirts and Tiny Pricks Project tees (which I suspect will both go fast!). And Friday, the exhibition opens to the public at 11 am.
I hope you'll come in person or share in the joy by following along here and on IG. Mostly because I hope you'll leave feeling the way I did after making all of this.
Hopeful.
Happy Birthday, America. Here's to the people who remind us that democracy isn't something we inherit. It's something we practice. Together.
xo Rachelle