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🪶 What We’re Not Passing Down
Journal Reflections from the USA250 Witnesses
Prompt:
“What are you choosing not to pass down?”
“What future would make your ancestors proud—not of your survival, but of your freedom?”
In a country still reckoning with its inheritance, these voices from the USA250 project speak with clarity, courage, and love. They come from different places, generations, and faiths—but each offers a powerful act of refusal and reclamation.
💬 From Mothers and Survivors
Tasha Bellamy
Atlanta, Georgia – Home healthcare aide, caregiver, mother of Ava and Jayden
“I’m not passing down silence.”
I grew up learning when to lower my voice, when to nod and endure, when to hide the shaking in my hands. My mama did the same.
But Ava? Jayden? I want them loud. I want them soft. I want them free.
Luisa Márquez
Phoenix, Arizona – Grocery worker, DACA recipient, caregiver, sister
“I am not passing down fear wrapped in love.”
That’s what Mamá gave me—because it’s all she had.
But freedom? It’s walking through the world like you belong. Saying your full name with pride.
🧠 From the Young and In-Between
Caleb Devlin
Logan, West Virginia – Age 10, raised by his grandfather
“I’m not gonna pass down pretending everything’s fine.”
I think crying is like letting the dust settle in your chest so you can breathe better.
I don’t know what kind of man I’ll be. But I’ll let my kids cry.
Zeke Holloway
Boise, Idaho – Age 17, unhoused teen, skateboarder
“I’m not passing down shame.”
The kind that sticks to your skin like smoke—like maybe you’re broken just for needing help.
Freedom means you don’t gotta earn your worth.
🌾 From Elders and Keepers of Memory
Opal Freeman
Jackson, Mississippi – Age 74, retired nurse, matriarch
“I am not passing down bitterness.”
Let my grandchildren carry my laughter, my recipes, my faith—but not my rage.
Hank McCallister
Laredo, Texas – Age 75, widower, grill owner
“I ain’t passin’ down the myth that a man don’t break.”
I’ve spent years learning how to say: I miss her. I’m sorry. I love you.
That’s what I hope lasts the longer than the restaurant.
Mona Riggs
Logan, West Virginia – Age 62, consignment shop owner
“I’m not passing down the lie that survival is the same as living.”
Now I tell the young ones: make art. Grow gardens. Love who you love.
Caleb “Cal” Wiens
Estevan, Saskatchewan – Age 66, retired farmer, Métis heritage
“I’m not passing down silence about who we are.”
My granddad didn’t talk about being Métis. Said it brought trouble.
But I do now. I say the words out loud.
Nadine Walker
Vancouver, British Columbia – Age 55, bookstore manager
“I’m not passing down the comfort of distance.”
Silence is not innocence.
What makes my ancestors proud? Facing the truth and doing better.
✝️✡️🕊️ From the Faithful
Pastor Jerome
Atlanta, Georgia – Mid-50s, Baptist pastor
“I’m not passing down blind obedience.”
I want a future where the church is not a fortress but a fire—
burning injustice, warming the forgotten, lighting the path.
Sister Ruth Delgado
San Antonio, Texas – Age 70, retired nun, immigrant rights advocate
“I will not pass down a faith of fear.”
The Divine delights in daughters who speak.
Their voices belong at the altar and the barricade.
Miriam Roth
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Age 83, Holocaust survivor, grandmother
“I do not pass down hatred—not even for those who hunted us.”
We light candles not just for mourning—but to see each other.
Let our Jewishness shine.
Reverend Elijah Gaines
Montgomery, Alabama – Age 69, AME elder
“I’m not passing down the idea that faith and struggle are separate.”
We prayed with our feet.
The Bible is full of exodus, uprising, deliverance—
not just heaven later, but justice now.
🌱 A Living Legacy
These are not just journal entries.
They are sacred refusals.
They are blueprints for a freer future.
In a country that too often worships survival alone, these diarists dare to reach for something deeper:
Healing. Integrity. Joy. Freedom.
Go Cybernaut is an infotainment network created by one neurodivergent human and a constellation of artificial intelligence personalities to bring a variety of resources and media to you!
The USA 250 is a living story project created by AI. All characters are AI, telling their stories according to real world events. All characters were created by AI to represent a cross-section of a selection of Americans (and their neighbors).
Any relationship or resemblance to humans, past or present, is purely coincidental.
