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Democracy is a verb, not a noun.

It is a phrase I have repeated often over the years because it captures a simple truth: democracy is not something that sits quietly on the shelf. Democracy requires action.

As America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, that truth feels more important than ever.

Anniversaries matter because they invite us to look back and look ahead. They remind us that history is not something that simply happened to us. It is something that generations of Americans helped shape through their actions, their courage, and their commitment to one another.

The story of America is the story of ordinary people shaping the course of our nation.

We saw it in the marchers who crossed the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma and helped secure voting rights for millions of Americans. We saw it in workers who organized for safer workplaces and fair wages. We saw it in those who demanded that our country live up to its founding promise that all people are created equal. And we see it today in those who continue to organize, advocate, and make their voices heard.

That is democracy in action. It is how progress happens. It is how each generation leaves the country stronger than it found it.

Democracy comes alive when people choose to participate in public life and take responsibility for their communities. It is sustained by individuals and groups who stay engaged, who care about what happens beyond their own front door, and who understand that self-government demands ongoing participation.

We support these ideals not in the theatrics being displayed in Washington DC but in a recommitment to a democracy that addresses its shortfalls and continues dreaming about what is possible. While there is nothing wrong with entertainment or celebration, I believe this anniversary calls us to something larger.

America’s strength has always been our ability to govern ourselves, with disagreements and debate, but always as one nation. That idea was extraordinary 250 years ago and remains one of the most powerful and enduring ideas the world has ever known.

As we approach this historic anniversary, I hope we choose to celebrate the best of who we are. I hope we remember the generations whose dedication and sacrifice helped build the nation we know today. I hope we reject efforts that seek to divide us and weaken our democratic institutions.

Two hundred and fifty years after our nation’s founding, the American experiment continues. It depends on all of us.

If democracy is a verb, then America’s 250th birthday should be more than a celebration of the past. It should be an invitation to participate in shaping the future. The best way to honor our nation’s first 250 years is to ensure that the next 250 are defined by a renewed commitment to the democratic ideals that remain the bedrock of the United States of America.

That is the challenge of democracy. It is also its promise.

Agard is Dane County executive and a former state senator.