the september project: invitation to get involved
Dear everyone, I am aware that I begin most of my emails with a request to forward, distribute, blog, etc. Yet this one comes with a special request: *please* forward, distribute, blog this post as far and wide as possible. We are especially interested in having it reach folks in libraries, information studies, and informatics. Actually, everyone! Here's the plan: On December 18, 2001, by a vote of 407-0, Congress designated September 11th as Patriot Day. We believe the most patriotic gesture citizens can make on this day is to come together in public places like local libraries. Through talks, roundtables, deliberations, and performances, citizens will participate collectively and think creatively about our country, our government, our community, and encourage and support the well-informed voice of the American citizenry. Public libraries provide all citizens open and free access to information. Almost all communities in the US have at least one library. There are over 16,000 public libraries in the US, and that's not including university libraries, K-12 libraries, and church libraries. In other words, libraries constitute an already existing national infrastructure. Moreover, 96% of all public libraries in the US are wired, partly due to the Gates Foundation's successful library initiative. Therefore, libraries also constitute a national and distributed media infrastructure. The September Project has three goals: 1. to coordinate with all libraries -- public, university, research; local, national, global -- to foster multiple public spaces for citizens to come together and participate in events on September 11, 2004; 2. to work with all modes of media -- popular and alternative; streaming/digital media, radio, television, print -- in order to transform local conversations into national and international interactions; 3. to continue doing this annually and internationally on September 11th. The aim of The September Project is to create a day of engagement, a day of community, a day of democracy. Our goal is to foster a tradition for citizens around the world to recognize and give meaning to September 11th. We invite you to visit our web site http://www.theseptemberproject.org and to get involved. Although our initial organizational strategies have been focused primarily on the US, our aim is international. Thank you for your time, david silver
There is a lot that is being left unsaid in this message. Though I do not doubt the good intentions of those behind the project, some elements of the message are very provocative. In particular, this one: "Our goal is to foster a tradition for citizens around the world to recognize and give meaning to September 11th." I would say that some of us have had *quite enough* of 9-11 already. I also don't understand how a project framed in terms of US patriotism is going to take on "international" value--without reading something sinister into this intention. I think that your aims for internationalization need some critical revision. Maximilian C. Forte
I'm going to respond on list with the expectation that several of us may need to move the conversation off list if it develops. I think that the conceptual work behind the September Project is actually brilliant -- the project offers a way to subvert the overwhelmingly militaristic definition of a historical moment that, frankly, resonates deeply with people inside the United States, regardless of their political tendencies. The September Project does this by refusing to continue to allow the unexamined association between Sept. 11 and a right-wing agenda, and it does so *without* resorting to a politics of contention. Within the current, highly-charged political environment here in the U.S., this dual move is critical to the success of any oppositional politics. What it means to be American in a globalized world will prove to be the most challenging and important question for progressive social movements within the United States. I would argue that any movement *within* the United States that attempts to be a mass, broad social movement must take on some kind of answer to that question; and cannot as those of you abroad might say, "quite enough already." Nor can this answer be framed in anti-patriotic terms if it is to be a successful mass movement within the U.S. If there's anything "sinister" in the September project, it is that is the pure subversion of dominant ideological paradigms within the United States. I think many activists in the U.S. would agree that these expressions of re-thinking and re-defining 9/11 would necessarily happen in different ways in different countries (and might even hope that those expressions include mass protests against the behavior of the U.S. government). And different responses are to be expected given the cultural and historical differences in the dominant ideological paradigms within different countries. But frankly, the world can't afford to have American citizens to throw up their hands and cede the rhetorical control of 9/11 to the U.S. right wing. Nor can the world afford to have citizens in other countries sit idly by and watch. Gina Neff
This is very interesting Gina, as an interpretation of what I said the original message left unspoken. When I visited the website, I personally got no sense whatsoever of anything you mentioned in your message. Perhaps you have more intimate knowledge of this project. Let me just say that I hope you are right in the interpretation you offered in your message. In the event that you are correct, and that this is a brilliant project, I would be interested in learning the methods and means by which messages such as yours will be conveyed and coordinated through a vast network of libraries, and who the prime movers will be in ensuring that just such a message gets across. As for my comment on the exact quote I extracted, I believe that my comment still stands. Anyhow, I very much appreciate your comments. You will be probably be one of the very few with the courage to address this topic on list...otherwise, as you will notice, the silence is deafening. Cheers, Maximilian C. Forte
i respect and appreciate the comments of maximilian and gina. thank you. what we trying to do is, as both suggested, break the silence that surrounds 9-11, especially here in the states. we are non-partisan. any individuals, organizations, and folks with a particular platform are encouraged to get involved. as we ask is that they try to work through their local libraries, ensure that the events are public, and try their hardest to make sure that the events are free. we are trying to do two things. first, facilitate as many and as diverse voices as possible to speak up on september 11th to talk about issues that matter -- like democracy, justice (thanks alex halavais), and citizenship. second, we believe that these voices must be public and collective. in other words: break silence. encourage voices. encourage public and collective voices. we are working with the assumption that bringing folks together, publicly and collectively, is a good thing. our initial focus is the US. this is where we live and we believe this is especially important for the citizens of the US. but -- important -- all we can do is suggest ways to make this happen and we fully expect the citizens of one town to design one set of speakers and events and citizens in other town pursue a completely different set of questions and topics. we believe that local events should reflect the interests and concerns of local citizens. that's what local democracy and civic engagement is all about. we are suggesting the idea; it's up to local citizens, libraries, and organizations to decide how best to engage one another. regarding maximilian's excellent questions: we completely believe that the september project can, should, and will become international but only if folks from around the world take up the project and tailor it to their own communities. question: what will such a day look like in chile, who had their own 9-11 over 30 years ago, in 1973? question: what will such a day look like in spain, whose citizens, on september 11th, will reflect upon the six month anniversary of march 11th? what will folks do on september 11th in AMSTERDAM? in HONG KONG? in CHIAPAS? in PARIS and ROME? in CANADA and the UK? in AUSTRALIA? the only reason this project is doable is INFRASTRUCTURE. the only way it will succeed in any way that matters is through NETWORKS. but i don't have time to detail this on the list but i will shortly. thank you for the comments. i hope others have additional ones and will voice them publicly on the list. david On Tue, 13 Apr 2004, Maximilian Forte wrote:
This is very interesting Gina, as an interpretation of what I said the original message left unspoken. When I visited the website, I personally got no sense whatsoever of anything you mentioned in your message. Perhaps you have more intimate knowledge of this project. Let me just say that I hope you are right in the interpretation you offered in your message.
In the event that you are correct, and that this is a brilliant project, I would be interested in learning the methods and means by which messages such as yours will be conveyed and coordinated through a vast network of libraries, and who the prime movers will be in ensuring that just such a message gets across.
As for my comment on the exact quote I extracted, I believe that my comment still stands. Anyhow, I very much appreciate your comments. You will be probably be one of the very few with the courage to address this topic on list...otherwise, as you will notice, the silence is deafening.
Cheers,
Maximilian C. Forte
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participants (3)
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david silver -
Gina Neff -
Maximilian Forte