September 11 Revisited

It is almost a year since the most devastating event in the 21st century (we hope).

On almost every one of those 365 days, there has been a newscast, an article, an editorial addressing the design of the World Trade Center site with an immediate response of everything from "build it back" to public scorn of the "perfect visioning" ideas submitted at the request of municipal authorities in New York.

Our rights have been impacted by that event. There is not a person left untouched by the hideousness of that day. Thankfully, one right that American shave retained is their right to speak out and many Americans have chosen to do so in a variety of ways. A mid-August editorial by architect Denise Scott Brown suggests that "a social vision that will evolve a conception of the meaning of New York today; a consideration of "what it is" and "what it should be" supplant the previous guidelines, however it is that they were put forward, to those making the design/idea submissions.

Although the right of citizens to be a part of the design and rebuilding process seemed to have disappeared in the week following the crisis, as the developer put forth ideas that responded only to his economic needs and time schedule, the "speaking out" process began to kick in almost immediately with a variety of groups organizing and publicly making known their ideas about the site. Redesigning the site is not unlike designing a community, but with the added emotional layer that a major tragedy is what lies behind the need to design. Denise Scott Brown points out that "tragedy will always" be a part of the experience at this site.

Many things have changed since September 11, 2001. Many "rights" that we have taken for granted are now gone. We have sometimes been casual about those rights, ignoring or forgetting the reasons why we are the United States of America. Forgetting the reasons why our unity has continued with such strength.

Lost Rights/Better Solutions

It is time to renew our abilities to exercise our rights, if only to remind ourselves of what we would miss without them. To mark September 11 in a meaningful way, with your kids, your family, in your classroom or church group, make a list of those important rights and then how they have been affected since September 11.

• Examine your "rights" list
• Have you truly lost a "right" or only a convenience?
• Discuss alternate solutions for some of the reoccurring problems that have robbed us of rights.
• Write an Action Letter to someone who can make a difference: the president, the governor, your elected congress-persons, the mayor, the principal, the chairperson of the neighborhood association. Click here for Writing an Effective Letter handout.
• Commit yourself to actively create the kind of community you want, you need and you deserve by exercising the right to make your wishes known, whether it is in your neighborhood, your city, or your nation.