Amelia Schafer
ICT
Indigenous dancers have turned down an invitation to perform at the Washington Monument on Independence Day.
The performance was planned by Freedom 250, which is the official initiative created by the Trump administration to lead events celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence two-and-a-half centuries ago.
One of the events, The Great American State Fair at the National Mall, opened last week to notably smaller crowds than planned. The state fair portion, which aimed to highlight all 56 U.S. states and territories, experienced widespread cancellations. Ten states declined to participate in the event, opting to leave their booths empty and unstaffed. Virginia’s booth was closed for a day due to the hot weather and no air conditioning. An America 250 concert planned for the Great American State Fair has also been subject to cancellations, with six of the nine artists scheduled to perform withdrawing prior to its start on Friday.
Opichee Day-Bedeau and mom Desirae Desnomie pose for a photo during a speaking engagement in 2026. Credit: Courtesy of Desirae Desnomie
The main event on Independence Day, called “Salute to America,” will take place on the Washington Monument Grounds. The event web page says a full day of performances including musical artists and military fly overs is scheduled; however, as of July 1, no lineup was posted for said events.
Among those invited to participate at the July 4 Washington Monumentevent were several Indigenous dancers, according to Desirae Desnomie, a renowned women’s backup singer and mother of three champion powwow dancers.
Desnomie’s youngest child, Opichee Day-Bedeau “Baby Opie”, an 8-year-old dancer from the Peepeekisis Cree First Nation and Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, was asked to join in an Indigenous performance on the White House lawn on July 4, Desnomie said.
“Under any other president I probably would have jumped at the chance for my son to dance in the opening of their event,” Desnomie, who is Peepeekisis Cree, told ICT. “We have a community to answer to. What is affecting our people affects us, even if we’re not directly impacted… This comes down to like a right and wrong thing and, like, what message would it send? It just does not align, It does not align with my son, with what my son represents, or who we are as Indigenous people.”
Desnomie said her son and another youth dancer were contacted by a representative from Freedom 250 in April and ultimately declined soon after. Organizers wanted champion powwow dancers to perform at the event and highlight Indigenous culture.
Representatives from Freedom 250 did not respond immediately to a request for comment. Freedom 250 is separate from America 250, which is a bipartisan organization aimed at commemorating the nation’s birthday.
A separate event called the “Washington Tattoo America 250 Experience” on July 17-18 will feature a performance from the drum and dance group, the Black Eagle Singers. This event is not affiliated with Freedom 250, rather, it’s led by veteran-owned non-profit organization, The Washington Tattoo.
“On one hand, we need authentic representation for Indigenous people in mainstream media, absolutely,” Desnomie said. “But on the other hand, anything to do with the sitting president, White House, etc. is plagued with Trump’s politics, racism, stupidity, and I don’t think that people will see it as anything but dancing for Trump as sellouts, for lack of a better term. I honestly don’t think I want my son carrying any of that burden.”
Opichee Day-Bedeau during his appearance on the Jennifer Hudson show in 2026. Day-Bedeau was invited to dance at the National Monument on the Fourth of July but declined. Credit: Courtesy of Desirae Desnomie
Day-Bedeau is a well-known youth men’s woodland dancer. A clip of Day-Bedeau and Wambli Dolezal, known as Baby Wam, dancing at the Black Hills Powwow in October 2025 went viral, leading the organizers to reach out, Desnomie said.
“I could not have my son be a part of anything Trump adjacent, even though it’s an honor to be asked by Freedom 250,” Desnomie said. “They wanted Indigenous representation, and I am the kind of person that thinks Indigenous representation is extremely important, authentic group representation is extremely important, especially on larger scales in mainstream media. Just to even be associated with anything Trump is, in my view, just not something that I was willing to have my son be in support of.”
Born in Canada, Desnomie said she’s in the United States under the Jay Treaty, which is a 1794 diplomatic agreement between the United States and Great Britain allowing for Canadian First Nations tribal members to travel freely into the United States to live and work. Canada does not acknowledge the treaty, meaning it only applies to First Nations, Inuit and Metis Canadians seeking to enter the United States.
Trump’s stance on immigration is especially concerning to Desnomie, she said. Desnomie and her children lived in Minneapolis for several years and were alarmed by the historic Immigration raids in the twin cities at the beginning of 2026. Desnomie said several of the family’s friends in Minneapolis were affected by the raids.
“We have so many relatives in the Mexican community, or the Latin community,” Desnomie said. “There are people who are scared to come into the United States because of the Trump administration.”
The event’s ties to the Trump administration were too unsettling for Desnomie, she said.
“I have to think about the best interest of my son, and even though (some would say) my son’s too young to be political, I actually would maybe counter argue that, that I don’t think anyone is too young to be political or to have a stance on what’s right,” Desnomie said.
It is unclear if any Indigenous dancers will appear at the July 4 event.
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