In honor of 9/11, a day of dialogue
By Dean Paton | Contributor to The Christian Science Monitor
SEATTLE A little more than a year ago, while working in the
Netherlands, David Silver observed two things that changed the
focus of his life - and, he hopes, could change the tenor of public
discourse in America.
"I noticed in Amsterdam that the Dutch media were reporting on
subjects I'd never seen in America," he says. "And when I'd go out
and talk with friends, I noticed that they were all talking about
things that mattered."
When he returned to the United States, he wanted Americans to have
the same kinds of spirited yet polite conversations he'd had in
Amsterdam.
The idea of Americans with vastly differing opinions engaging in
constructive dialogue became a fixation for Dr. Silver, an
assistant professor of communications at the University of
Washington. One evening, as he walked past the construction site of
Seattle's new central library, he had an epiphany: Libraries are
free, he thought, and they exist in communities big and small
across the country.
Not earth-shattering, as epiphanies go. Yet from this has grown the
September Project (www.theseptemberproject.org), a national day of
dialogue about democracy, citizenship, and patriotism - pegged to
the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Saturday, at more than 450
sites in at least 48 states and seven countries, Americans will
have the chance to gather, discuss, remember, commemorate, and -
ideally - rediscover the tradition of town-hall discourse, the
opposite of shock talk radio.
"It's been three years since the tragic events of 2001," notes
Silver, "and I think people are finally ready to talk about issues
that matter."
The catalog of events is as disparate as America itself:
At the University of Washington's Suzzallo Library, official
documents used by filmmaker Michael Moore to create the
controversial documentary, "Fahrenheit 9/11," will be available to
participants. Using these documents, citizens will have the chance
to create their own versions of the allegations Mr. Moore's film
makes about President Bush.
In Omaha, Neb., church bells will toll at 9 a.m., and the city
will commemorate the victims of Sept. 11 with a moment of silence.
Throughout the day at its 10 libraries, buglers will play taps,
Opera Omaha will sing patriotic songs, and citizens can sign up for
15-minute slots, during which they may participate in marathon
readings of the Constitution, the Gettysburg Address, the
Declaration of Independence, Martin Luther King's "I Have A Dream"
speech, and other seminal American documents.
In Benbrook, Texas (pop. 23,000), librarians have constructed a
model of the World Trade Center festooned with small flags, each
representing 10 of the 9/11 victims. The library will also screen
the 30-minute documentary, "Can Democracy Survive?" and
participants can later discuss quotes about democracy and the poem,
"When The Bill of Rights Comes Due," by librarian Michael
Baldwin.
At the Forbes Library in Northampton, Mass., children will e-mail
messages to children at the Boulevard Park Library in suburban
Seattle. Children there will reply with handwritten messages and
drawings.
At the Marine Corps Air Station in Iwakuni, Japan, a librarian
will read the Declaration of Independence to personnel and their
families. She will also issue disposable cameras to 25 people,
including children, to take pictures of events and happenings on
the base that day. They will burn a CD-ROM of the photos to create
a memento of the day called, "A Day in the Life of Iwakuni."
"This is a time in our country when everybody seems to be wrestling
with heartfelt opinions that are sometimes polar opposites," says
Marsha Iverson, with the King County Library System in suburban
Seattle. "People are really divided. People tend to cluster with
others who have similar viewpoints. We need to hear both sides, and
we need to hear each other's opinions in safe environments and with
respectful listening."
Ms. Iverson believes the September Project could inspire a new era
of civilized discourse in America.
"Right now, people feel the issues are too complex, and they feel
they can't make a difference," says Michael Baldwin, the librarian
at Benbrook. "I'm hoping the library can help people regain control
of their democracy."
Silver plans to continue the September Project into future
years.
Next year, Sept. 11 will be a Sunday, and he envisions taking the
project into churches, synagogues, and mosques. In 2006, when Sept.
11 falls on a Monday, it would be only natural to move it into the
K-12 school system.
"The idea of simple community conversations has gone missing in our
society," adds Iverson. "If we're going to rediscover what's great
about this nation, we're going to have to learn again to hear each
other and understand each other and look harder for things that
unite us rather than divide us."
