Some of my earliest memories speak to the role culture plays in defining who we are in our youth and will be throughout our lives: perusing books with my grandfather before I could read, listening to the soulful voice of Sam Cooke, playing baseball on the municipal fields of Belleville, New Jersey—and realizing my dream to play for the Yankees was unlikely, so I would be better off pursuing my love of history.

I am pleased the sole focus of the 2025 Smithsonian Folklife Festival is Youth and the Future of Culture. It is long overdue that we use this platform exclusively to embrace and celebrate young people for their essential role in shaping our cultural and civic landscape. The wellspring of creativity and innovation found in this impressive and varied group of young storytellers, musicians, artists, artisans, truth seekers, and stewards of culture augurs hope for our nation’s prospects of a brighter shared future.

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote, “Youth is the time to go flashing from one end of the world to the other to try the manners of different nations.” This year’s Folklife Festival embodies that spirit, bringing the vibrancy and vitality of youth culture to the National Mall. It is a chance for dialogue, learning, and engagement like no other.

If you are no longer young, I hope the Festival inspires you to rediscover a youthful perspective; if you are still young, I hope it spurs you to recognize your power to create a better world. I also hope to see all of you for next year’s Festival commemorating the United States’ 250th birthday—it will be an unparalleled opportunity to celebrate, contemplate, commemorate, and commit to the ideals upon which the nation was founded.

Lonnie G. Bunch III
Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution