Interfaith Coalition to Mark Declaration’s 250th With ‘People’s Independence Day’ in Pasadena

A coalition of four progressive interfaith and media organizations will present “People’s Independence Day: Reading America Into Being,” a free public program of readings and reflections, at the Orange Grove Friends Meeting Hall in Pasadena on Saturday, July 4 — the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

The two-hour program, running from 10 a.m. to noon at 520 E. Orange Grove Blvd., marks the semiquincentennial as a moment for examining accountability, not just celebration, its organizers say, asking how close America has come to fulfilling its founding promises.

The event will examine “the nation’s founding ideals, its unfinished struggle for freedom and equality, and the work still required to build a democracy that truly belongs to all of us,” according to its description.

The program is co-sponsored by Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace, the Interfaith Solidarity Network, the Left Coast Forum and LA Progressive, the daily digital progressive magazine listed as the event’s organizer of record. Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace was founded by Los Angeles religious leaders in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks — the late Rev. George F. Regas, retired rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, is credited as a founder — and marks its 25th year in 2026.

On its Eventbrite listing, the event frames the anniversary with pointed questions — “Why are we celebrating a Declaration of Independence written by slave owners?” and, in a related framing, “whose independence are we celebrating — and how close has America come to fulfilling the promises it made 250 years ago?”

The Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace website describes the gathering as offering “readings, music, community, and strength for the long road ahead.”

Featured speakers were to include actress, author and activist Mimi Kennedy; the Rev. Daniel Tamm, president of the Interfaith Solidarity Network’s board; and LA Progressive publisher Sharon Kyle and editor Dick Price, who co-founded the publication. Promotional listings have differed on the rest of the lineup: the Eventbrite and KPFK 90.7 FM listings also name Anthony Manousos, an Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace board member and member of the Orange Grove Friends Meeting in Pasadena, and Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace communications director Rick Banales, while earlier announcements named actors Mike Farrell and Dave Clennon.

Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. Street parking is available. Additional information and RSVPs are available through the Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace website and the event’s Eventbrite page.

People’s Independence Day: “Reading America Into Being” will be held Saturday, July 4, from 10 a.m. to noon. Admission is free and light refreshments will be served. The event takes place at the Orange Grove Friends Meeting Hall, 520 E. Orange Grove Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91104. Street parking is available at no charge. For more information, call (626) 578-5744 or visit icujp.org.