Although President Trump has decided to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States^th anniversary with eye-catching displays in its honor, a team of actors, activists, academics, comedians and writers have come together to issue an urgent warning about the fragility of our democracy.

Timothy Snyder, the best-selling author, historian and expert on fascism, recruited dozens of luminaries to recite lines from his 2017 book “On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the 20th Century,” which analyzed what he called “America’s turn toward authoritarianism” under Trump by looking at how democracies morphed into dictatorships in 20 years.^th Europe of the 19th century.

Snyder’s tome offers a series of instructions on how to defend oneself against tyranny, such as “defending institutions” and “believing the truth,” and in a video posted on July 4^th – that Variety is debuting exclusively: You can watch the following people deliver them: Isabel Allende, Judd Apatow, Margaret Atwood, Joan Baez, Sophia Bush, Misha Collins, Kimberlè Crenshaw, Ted Danson, Ron Funches, Tony Goldwyn, Eric Holder, Jenifer Lewis, Leslie Odom Jr., Sarah Jessica Parker, Billy Porter, Maria Ressa, Lisa Rinna, Molly Ringwald, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Mark Ruffalo, J. Smith-Cameron, Holland Taylor, Viet Thanh Nguyen and Bradley Whitford.

The message is clear: Although the Trump administration has eroded American institutions and tested its resolve, it is imperative that we learn from this chapter in American history so we are not doomed to repeat it.

“My hope is that after this very bad and corrupt time we are experiencing now, we move away from a government that caters to the rich and powerful and focuses on the needs, desires and dreams of children and young people,” Ruffalo says. Variety. “May we live the promise of equality for all and close the wealth gap that leads to unrest, scapegoating and despair. May we build a world based on the peace and well-being of the working class instead of war and degradation of the masses, allowing us to value this beautiful planet and all its life systems and leave behind the colonial mentality of land theft, extractive economies, domination and materialism; embrace the indigenous wisdom and worldview of circular economies, the With respect for all things and beings as our kin and therefore worthy of our care and consideration, let us keep America moving toward its great promise and not toward the miserable mistakes and cruelty of its past.”

Snyder’s 4th of July^th The video is completed by the narration of Sarah Jessica Parker, who ends with the following message:

“The lesson of America is not that freedom was given. It is that freedom was defended. Over and over again. By people who refused to give up on each other. The next 250 years begin now. What happens next is not inevitable. It is up to us.”