Growing up, the Fourth of July was always magical for Autumn Bland Hudson.
The Akron resident spent her childhood attending Columbus's Red, White and BOOM! celebration, the state's largest fireworks display.
Being a kid in the '90s, rollerblading there, getting all the glow sticks, and it's like a fair basically in the middle of the summer, Bland Hudson recalled. I just was always so mesmerized by the fireworks.
Over time, Bland Hudson's reasons for scaling back on Fourth of July celebrations were fairly common complaints; noise sensitivities, a skittish dog, a young child and crowd anxiety.
But lately, Bland Hudson said it's just felt wrong to celebrate the holiday. She said she doesn't feel like there's much to be proud of as an American who strongly opposes President Donald Trump's policies and the actions of his administration.
I don't care for any of the decisions that are being made by powers that be, and I certainly don't want to celebrate that, Bland said.
She said she is opposed to all of Trump's actions but pointed to his administration's handling of foreign affairs in Iran and federal cuts to programs benefitting minorities and people with disabilities.
She's also concerned about safety amid what she calls a more divided America.
I don't want to risk being in a situation where people just show up just to be angry and who knows what kind of violence might happen, Bland Hudson said. Something might get heated, ... and I don't really want to be in the space if people are going to get a little volatile or aggressive.
Across the country, Americans are mobilizing on July 4 in opposition of Trump with hundreds of and protests planned for the holiday and proceeding weekend. It is the latest in a slew of recent nationwide protests, including the No Kings demonstrations that marching the same day as Trump's birthday and military parade in Washington, D.C.
But some are choosing to disengage from the holiday entirely.
I do not wish to celebrate America's independence and 'freedom' until our representatives take 'Liberty and Justice for all' seriously, said Mark Levis of Ashtabula. He said he hasn't celebrated July 4 for decades.
For Carrie Williams, the decision to not celebrate was a direct response to Trump's political ascension. Similarly to Bland, the Brooklyn resident grew up loving the holiday but said she stopped celebrating in 2016. That was the year Trump campaigned against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for the presidency and the Republican National Convention came to Cleveland.
It was really the first sort of year where I was like, things really feel stupid and dangerous, Williams said. And I was like, 'I'm not going to participate in Fourth of July things because I don't feel like celebrating America. This feels gross.' And ever since then, I've been like, 'yup, this still feels gross.'
While some are opting out, others are doubling down, even if they're opposed to Trump.
We have lots of words that have been stretched and twisted... but I consider myself to be a massive patriot, said Chennelle Bryant-Harris of Cleveland. My family is fortunate enough to be an African-American family that can like trace our roots back to pre-Civil War on both sides actually, which is kind of cool.
Bryant-Harris said part of being an American is celebrating minorities that made the creation of the country possible. Civic engagement, including celebrating the Fourth of July, has always been important to her family. But Bryant-Harris said doubt in institutions that used to be portrayed as patriotic, and feeling voiceless, makes it more difficult to celebrate being an American.
To me, [the Fourth of July] is about engaging civically, knowing the history, not necessarily celebrating, but having awareness of this country, Bryant-Harris said. Where we've come from, where we're going, and what we have to do to make sure we align with what we think is correct as Americans.
