Remarks by Bryan Gadow, Chair, Associated Students of Madison

(The following remarks were delivered during a program of reflection and remembrance scheduled today, Sept. 11, from 8:45- 9:30 a.m., Library Mall.)

Good morning and welcome to this occasion for remembrance and reflection. Seeing all of these people here this morning, truly confirms for me how resilience and compassionate our University and City communities really are. Communities who are able to weather together, the challenges, struggles and even triumphs during this turbulent time in world events. It is this fortitude of character that has always been a strong foundation not only of our University, but especially of the students who comprise so much of the heart and flavor of this University.

The question was often asked of the generation before us, “where were you when you heard President John F. Kennedy was assassinated?” I have no doubt that when historians reflect upon the events of September 11th in years to come, the same kind of question will be asked of our generation. Some students may recall that they were struggling to stay awake in their 7:45 am discussions, others of us stating that they were in the middle of a morning jog; while others may admit that they were not yet awake to hear the tragic news. I believe that the point of a question of this kind is to mark the significance of an event by contrasting with common events in our ordinary lives. This contrast is supposed to bring about a drastically new understanding of what the term “ordinary” means. I too remember where I was during that fateful September morning, I was one of those students struggling to focus on a discussion in my early morning Anthropology discussion, still unaware that the world that I once had known, was no longer the same. And I am sure that many of you also remember what you were doing when you heard the news, the news that did radically change our notions of what an “ordinary” live really is.

Although this question may be important for historians, I do not think that it is the most important question that we can ask ourselves at this time. The better question to pose to ourselves is where we are today, one year from this tragic event. What have we learned as individuals, as communities and as a part of a great society? Have we made progress in understanding the magnitude of this event and have we taken from it things that have made us better people and better citizens. The answer to this question, in my opinion is a resounding yes, however I do not think that our closure and healing ends with a set of memorial speeches. Our healing will continue with our desire to understand and respect of cultures and traditions that are different than our own. A closer reflection of our reactions to the horrific events of Sept. 11th, show us that although we have progressed as a nation in coming to terms with this event, there is still much that we must overcome.

Our initial national response to this tragedy was one marked by both a showing of patriotism but also with fear in the things that we did not understand. While the shock of this event united many Americans to reaffirm their love for their country, in other cases it also induced harassment of peoples based upon cultural backgrounds and national origins due to fear and misunderstanding. This was even apparent on our own campus; however through the promotion of acceptance of all cultures and peoples, our community continues to work through this fear and create an environment in which all people can feel welcome. If there is one thing that we have learned from the events after Sept. 11th, is that it takes a constant commitment on all our parts to prevent fear from causing us to lose sight of the fact that we are a community and we must treat each other as equal members in that community.

Another important thing to reflect upon as students is how our generation reacted to this event and chose to become active members in repairing our nation’s wounds. Some of us chose to donate blood or wear yellow ribbons of peace; others practiced the civil liberties that are so important to our way of life by expressing views of agreement and also of disagreement with our military response to these attacks. Some of use donated our time to community service opportunities, intent on making the lives of those around us a bit brighter, while others of us chose to don the uniform of military service to serve in the defense of our nation. Before this event, the generations before us claimed that we lacked character, that we lacked a sense of national pride and civic duty. However, I believed that our generation’s response to this event proved to not only other generations, but also to ourselves that we do indeed have a sense of civic direction and care for more than simply ourselves, that we also care for the common good of the communities and society we all live in. Robert F. Kennedy once remarked that “Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of all those acts will be written the history of this generation”. This holds no truer than today, when as students of both our own generation and a member of a collection of generations rose to the aid of our country in its time of need. It is this type of response that will be remembered in history, the individual actions as part of a larger whole, which defined America’s character during a painful and difficult time.

So again I ask where are we one year from the events of Sept. 11th? I would argue that we are a nation that is finally coming to grips with the impact on our national psyche and what it means to be part of a larger community. I would also argue that we still have many issues to sort out, including our response to fear of things we do not understand, to prevent members of our own community from feeling threatened. But I would also argue most strongly, that this event has tested our national and communal fibers and we have shown a commitment to supporting our brothers and sisters in this country, in efforts to continually improve the places we live in. Although nothing can replace the loss that many of us suffered on that tragic mourning, we can take comfort in the reality that we are learning and growing as a citizens, as communities and as a nation from that loss. Thank you all for attending and may peace be with you.