Us@250 Fellowship

Natasha was selected as a Us@250 fellow with the New America Foundation. For the coming year, she’ll be part of a cohort of other scholars and journalists writing nuanced stories about America in honor of the upcoming 250th anniversary of our nation’s founding. As New America wrote in their announcement of the fellowship:

“Focused on reimagining the American narrative, Us@250 centers around three core themes: pride in the nation’s progress from its origins; reckoning with historical and contemporary wrongs that have caused the nation to fall short of its ideals; and aspiration for a multiracial, inclusive democracy. The Us@250 Fellowship plays a pivotal role in this mission by empowering storytellers with funding, resources, and a supportive community. These storytellers are dedicated to telling a fuller, more comprehensive American narrative, fostering connections across differences, and expanding our understanding of American culture and identity.

Thirteen talented individuals were selected to join the second Us@250 fellowship class. Their projects this year focus on engaging local human-interest stories that explore the themes of pride, reckoning, and aspiration. Spanning 13 states, from bustling cities to rural landscapes, our fellows—ranging from emerging journalists to seasoned reporters—will cover a wide array of topics. These include sports and fitness, immigration and economic development, civic engagement and friendships, and the confronting of local histories.”

For Natasha’s fellowship, she’ll be focusing on the afterlife of Amache, Colorado’s WWll-era Japanese American concentration camp, by looking at the decades-long struggle to properly commemorate the site and its transition to becoming, as of February 2024, our newest National Historic Site. Natasha been researching this topic ever since attending the May 2023 Amache pilgrimage and I’m so looking forward to continuing this research and reporting work.

The other fellows in my cohort are doing incredible work (read more about it here) and I can’t wait to learn from and with them over the coming year.