From La Crosse’s first Black and gay mayor to the former Gundersen CEO who led the health system to major changes, we talked with a variety of those leading our community about what it means for America to turn 250.

Away from the partisan politics and the 24/7 news cycle, it’s our communities, leaders and neighbors who got us — the U.S. — to this point. And moving forward will be completely reliant on us.

SACRIFICE

How did we get here? 

For those before us, it took sacrifice, it took fight. But it’s upon us now to recognize that sacrifice, to remember it, to honor it.

La Crosse Mayor Shaundel Washington-Spivey grew up hearing those stories firsthand, and they still shape how he approaches his role today.

As America eyes its 250th anniversary, the calendar looks a bit different for Black Americans marking 161 years since the first Juneteenth on June 19, 1865.

“I will never be able to unhear the stories right of my grandmother telling me about how when she was on the plane or on trains and they had to sit in the back of the bus until they hit a certain line, which was like Missouri-Illinois area, and then they were able to sit wherever they wanted to,” Washington-Spivey said. “She talks about her experiences of picking cotton and serving as a certified nurse’s assistant. And, it’s really important to understand that everybody was a part of that fight. 

“You know, white folks, black folks, et cetera. … And I respect and honor those ancestors because of where I am now as the mayor of the city of La Crosse, it wouldn’t have been possible without the fight folks before me, right?”

For Mai Tia Yang, board president of the Hmong Cultural and Community Center in La Crosse, there’s a celebration of America — not so much at 250 years, but for the 50 years the Hmong community has called this country home, a milestone marked in 2025.

“It has made us reflect on how far we’ve come or how much we acclimated to life in the United States or chasing the American dreams,” Yang said.

She added, however, that fitting in often comes at a sacrifice of her own people’s history.

“We’re first generation over here, growing up over here, we’re still faced with a lot of the cultural aspects (where) you’re stuck in the middle between both worlds,” she said. “A lot of the generations that are growing up right now, they don’t have that culture part of it. They’re losing that. And that’s what the center is all about. We are here to make sure that we can still have that culture.”

So, it’s as much about celebrating America at 250 — or for the Hmong people getting here 50 years ago — it’s about remembering the sacrifice it took during and after the Vietnam war for people like Yang’s parents, and then remembering and preserving some of what their lives were like before that turmoil. 

Ultimately, whether celebrating America at 250 or the Hmong community’s arrival 50 years ago or Juneteenth, the theme is the same: honoring the grueling journey it took to get here — whether it was the Jim Crow battles fought by Washington-Spivey’s grandmother or the sacrifices Yang’s parents made during and after the Vietnam War. It’s about remembering that history while fighting to preserve the heritage left behind.

COMMUNICATION

But preserving history gets lost if people stop talking to each other.

As the nation looks to its next 250 years, the bridge between past struggles and future unity relies on sharing our unique cultures and learning about others — whether that’s through local leadership, conversations with our neighbors or how we teach the next generation.

For Sam Scinta, CEO of the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce and political science lecturer at UW-La Crosse, that future relies heavily on remembering how the country was built in the first place. He notes that the nation’s founding documents weren’t born out of total agreement, but out of tough conversations.

“We were forged out of compromise,” Scinta said. “And I can’t think of a better lesson for politics in 2026 than this idea that … there is a possibility of bringing disparate ideas together and forging a path forward.”

When a community embraces that mindset of listening and finding common ground, it sets the stage for leaders to build a broader culture of belonging.

For La Crosse County Sheriff John Siegel, it’s about creating that atmosphere.

“I want people to want to live here,” Siegel said. “Like if you look at the Coulee Region and you’re coming from somewhere else, this is the community I want to live in, this is the place that I want to work, this is the place I want to raise his kids — the compassion, the empathy, resources. I want the La Crosse area, the Coulee Region, to be where people want to be.”

Fulfilling that vision requires leaders who communicate with those shared values. 

Dr. Jeff Thompson, former Gundersen Health System CEO, argues that whether you are leading a country, a city or a healthcare giant, great communication isn’t about micromanaging people.

“If you build [an organization] based on broad principles rather than one million rules, you’re more likely going to get long-term superior performance,” Thompson said.

For Thompson, that shift in communication is what transforms an institution from a top-heavy bureaucracy into something more like a community.

“Instead of having seven people in the White House and Cabinet, or seven people in the C-suite, all aligned and doing things, real greatness comes from having the 7,000 in your organization, or 70 million in your country, work forward on a basis of principles,” Thompson said.

INCLUSION

Keeping something together for 250 years or even 10 years requires those workers, those citizens to feel they all have a say. Creating that place means everyone belongs — and La Crosse is a community that has embraced that better than most.

Yet, that progress hasn’t reached every corner of the Coulee Region. For some, the reality on the ground shows there is still a gap.

“Even though there’s been changes, there’s still a lot of things that need to be worked on,” Yang said. “Like when you go to healthcare systems or when you go into institutions, schools… there’s still not enough representation. You see people of color in lower positions, but you don’t see them in executive or leadership positions.”

La Crosse has made undeniable strides in representation. From the mayor himself to the first-ever majority-female city council for multiple terms to more women on the county board than ever before. But representation is just the first step. Washington-Spivey points out that even with diverse faces in high places, changing the underlying system takes more work.

“People like to say La Crosse is ready for change, but are we really?” Washington-Spivey asked. “When it comes to policy, when it comes to shifting resources, that’s where you see the real resistance. We have a long way to go before the system itself is actually inclusive, rather than just a few diverse faces in high places.”

Acknowledging those shortcomings, however, isn’t a sign of failure — it is the core definition of this 250-year experiment.

For Scinta, the friction La Crosse is experiencing right now mirrors the very challenge the nation’s founders left behind to be solved by future generations.

“Think about those words again in the preamble, a ‘more perfect union,’ meaning we are never gonna be perfected, right?” Scinta said. “We are constantly striving for perfection, meaning we always have this sense as Americans, we could do better… We’re at a point now where we’re being forced across the political spectrum to re-examine what all this means and what it means to truly be a citizen.”

That work of citizenship doesn’t happen in Washington, D.C. It plays out across city halls, cultural centers, and neighborhoods right here in the Coulee Region.

Ultimately, as the U.S. hits 250, the leaders shaping La Crosse suggest the path forward won’t be created from the top down. Instead, it relies on the same local foundation that shaped the country in the first place — the daily, challenging work of listening, compromising and building a community where the next generation actually wants to stay.

Published by Rick Solem on June 15th, 2026.

Looking for events, community traditions, and stories celebrating America 250? Find more here!