Resources for September 11th

September 1, 2011

As the tenth anniversary approaches, we want to share resources with you to reflect upon, to utilize in educational environments, to stimulate conversations and efforts to help dismantle bigotry and hate, as well as resources to encourage peace.

 
911 Stories Our Voices Our Choices
is a project of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. The  site offers stories answering the questions: How could we have responded differently? What could 9/11 families, and citizens around the 
world, have taught us about their experiences of terrorism, political violence and war? What choices could we have made, and what choices can we make today, to create peaceful tomorrows for everyone?
 
Prepare New York  for the 10th Anniversary -Questions, Fact Sheets 
"Drawing from our years of experience developing practical educational resources, we’ve created a conversation guide to facilitate difficult discussions about 9/11 and religion-based prejudice, including anti-Muslim sentiment, along with extensive informational materials on everything from Muslims in America to an overview of world religions to the many different religions that have encountered opposition to the building of their churches, temples and mosques.
These materials will be used by New Yorkers but will also be available for people across the U.S.  As such, our education materials are national resources that provide the foundation for hundreds of honest conversations in houses of worship, workplaces, schools and community centers.  With concrete data designed to inform but not inflame, our community will be able to explore pressing issues such as hate speech and violence directed against 'the other'."
 
Pax Christi's Peaceweavings Ten Years After 9/11, the Last Word 
"My brother, Bill Kelly Jr. died in Tower 1 on September 11th... There’s a time for righteous moral outrage, just as there’s a time for accountability, and justice... .But in the end, it’s about love, and my brother Bill. How much he loved and was loved. How much I miss him." -Colleen Kelly 
 
Bringing 9/11 Into the Classroom—10 Years Later
Whether schools opt simply to memorialize the victims or decide to turn the anniversary into a teachable moment, one thing is clear: It’s going to be complicated. Educators bringing 9/11 into the classroom, particularly during the anniversary, need to be skilled and sensitive. With that in mind, Teaching Tolerance offers some tips for educators as the anniversary approaches. . . . 
 
Peaceful Tomorrows- Beyond Retribution DVD
Taped in Oklahoma City on the tenth anniversary of the Murrah Federal Building bombing, "Beyond Retribution" captures a roundtable discussion with those who lost family members as a result of 9/11, the Oklahoma City bombing, and the war in Iraq. It is moderated by Father Michael Lapsley, an Anglican priest who lost his hands to a letter bomb sent in response to his work against apartheid in South Africa. 
 
Together, they explore the individual responses of those most closely affected by terrorism, violence and war, and offer ways to move beyond retribution and towards sources of real peace. "Beyond Retribution" is 37 minutes in length, comes with a list of discussion questions, and is suitable for any age (no harsh images or language). 
 
10 Years After September 11th - Actions to Take
10 years after September 11th, people and communities across the country are mourning the people who died in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania, as well as the tens of thousands of others around the world who have died since then in the wars our country launched in response to the 9/11 attacks. As a country, we can do better than that.
 
Washington’s reaction to 9/11 damaged our country as much as the attacks themselves. Today, the nation is waging a permanent war that is taking the lives of our soldiers and draining the U.S. 
treasury. Ten years later, our leaders need the courage to change course. Encourage Congress to Act for Peace . . .