Beyond "Where were you?"—let's talk about September 11

“Where were you?”

We’ve all been hearing this question a lot in the days leading up to the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. From chats around the water cooler to the many news organizations collecting stories from their readers, the meme seems to be everywhere. National Geographic created a Facebook app. Country music artist Alan Jackson is even singing about it.

Because 2001 is only a decade past, many people remember precisely what they were doing on September 11, even if they were nowhere near one of the three attack sites. Others experienced similar moments when JFK was assassinated, when man first landed on the moon, the Challenger disaster, or even the death of a beloved musician, like John Lennon or Kurt Cobain.

At the museum, we talk about being a “steward of the nation’s memory”—providing a forum for reflecting on the experiences that define us as a nation and exploring the importance of history in our daily lives. But how do we provide such a forum for the 10th anniversary of September 11? And how can we move beyond “Where were you?” to get at the meanings and lasting legacy of these historic events? Today’s post looks at two ways the museum is addressing this goal: inviting public input inside the museum building and facilitating conversations online.

Melissa Foster writes down her reflections in the “September 11: Remembrance and Reflection” display.

Online visitors begin a Web-based conversation at conversations.si.edu

In the museum’s special display of September 11 artifacts (on view through Sunday), we ask visitors to share their responses to our version of “Where were you?” We ask: “How did you witness history on September 11, 2001?” and “How has your life changed because of September 11, 2001?” Below you’ll find a sampling of comment cards we’ve received over the past few days. (In our 2002 exhibition, we posed the same questions; you can view those comment cards in a digital archive.)

People ask one another “where were you?” as a way to start a conversation. But usually what the asker wants to hear is more than just an account of what you were doing or wearing or how old you were. While these comments cards are a good start, the tenth anniversary of September 11 is an opportune time to move beyond merely beginning a conversation. Because my expertise is in new media, I looked to the Internet for another solution.

We know that the Web can be a powerful tool for bringing people together to discuss common concerns. But, as anyone who has ever read comments on a news website can attest, many conversations on the Web lack accountability due to their anonymity, with people simply talking past each other. The museum’s project, September 11: Conversations, produced in partnership with GMD Studios and the Smithsonian Channel, is designed to stimulate the give-and-take of real in-person conversations. The online dialogue format we've chosen to use makes candor more comfortable, exchanges more intimate, and disagreements more civil.

How? Well, each online conversation group contains a limited number of participants (around 20 per group) from different areas of the country who agree to participate for two weeks. The museum suggests topics for conversation but each group’s dialogue is determined by the personal experiences and interests of the group members. All conversations can be read by the public, but only the members of the group can initiate new topics of conversation or respond to others.

The format of this dialogue is a unique one, designed to be a safe environment for people with diverse backgrounds and beliefs to find ways to explore their differences and learn from each other. We ask that people make a commitment to participate daily and spend as much time asking each other questions as they do stating their own beliefs.

Here are some of the things we’ll be talking about over the next few weeks:

• Did you save anything to remember September 11? Why and what does it mean to you now?
• Is September 11 history or still a part of current events? What is the difference between history and news?
• Do you think September 11 was a turning point in American history?
• How will future generations view September 11 fifty years from now?
• What conversation do you think we should be having about September 11 that America still isn’t having?

Please join us in the conversation (and invite your friends)! We can start with “Where were you?” But together we can take the nation’s dialogue about September 11 to new and more meaningful places. Sign-ups will remain open for the next few weeks.

Dana Allen-Greil is managing editor of the O Say Can You See blog.

Comments

[laura hennings]

I was at work when customers were coming in saying " Have you heard the news ? Terrorists are using passenger planes to attack The Towers "
My sister-in-law frantically rang asking "have you any news from your brother who is in N Y now .
It was panic. My twin was in NY, and what if they visited The Towers since a meeting was scheduled that day nearby ?
His company luckily had news that they were safe.
But not so lucky for many as we now know.
Bin Laden may be dead but Al Quaeda's legacy lives on, so I support for what our soldiers are doing in Afghan soil and elsewhere.

[bloobnoob]

This is a sad event that is very hard to discuss. Even if you were not a victim of this attack the memory still remains.
I have to mention the beautiful memorial. It is now a historical land mark.

[Darren]

This day seemed so surreal. I had just moved from California back to Houston, TX when this happened. Even scarier was watching the second plane hit while live on the news. Though this was a major tragedy -- The unity of America could be felt from state to state.

[Julie A. Belland]

I was at my parents home with my 4yr. old daughter. I felt like I was being choked. Everyone was frozen and eyes were glued to the TV. Before the first tower fell I felt I needed to get out of the house. Without really understanding why I went to the garage and grabbed the American Flag that was still on its pole in the corner. I was walking down one of the main roads of our city holding the Flag above my head then started to jog. I made it to our first over pass near the free way but didn't go up it fearing my presence with the Flag may cause an accident. I waved it high in the air the rest of the day. In my mind at that moment I was saying, "Wake up, get off your feet, United we Stand, Now lets do something!" I could not donate blood due to an illness, nor money as I'm disabled. However, I'm 5'11" and people saw me & responded in the ways they could . I went out to the same spot 4 days in a row to honor The People of the Twin Towers, The Pentagon, & Flight 93. We are One Nation Under God. God Bless the USA!

[Jennifer Hahn-Silvestri]

I was walking on Spring Lake beach that day and it was a beautiful blue sky and all of a sudden I saw this HUGE CLOUD of the BLACKEST smoke I have ever seen. I stood there just watching this black smoke getting larger and larger in the sky. I said to myself there is something really bad going on in the city. I drove home and put the t.v. on and then I saw the second plane crash into the tower. I did not think it was for real but then I thought of the BLACK SMOKE on the beach and said, "this is really happening." Every year on Sept. 11 I walk on the beach and think of that day the BEAUTIFUL SKY that all of a sudden it turned BLACK..:( The sight of that BLACK smoke will be with me for the rest of my LIFE...

[Linda]

Dear Heavenly Father,

Today is a difficult day. The memories are painful and some of the wounds I fear may never heal. Yet I pray you will help me to go on living for truth, firm in my hope of your salvation. May I live for you, Lord, and by doing so, be an example to my friends and family. I pray, just like Jesus, I may learn obedience through these things that I have suffered. Help me not to question why, yet even if I do, give me courage to continue to trust you. Help me take the comfort and strength you've poured into my life and use it to comfort and strengthen others who need hope.

I pray I might become a better person and help make the world a better place because of this terrible event. Thank you for the heroes that gave so sacrificially on September 11. Help me to remember their courage and learn from them. I want my life to be worthy of you Lord, so make of it what you desire, and use me to fulfill your purposes. May the evil of that day cause me and my family to work harder to do good on this earth and to bring your light into the dark places. Help me to never stop believing in you and living my life for you.

Lord, heal all those who were crushed and broken on that day. May they come to experience your presence and know your peace.

[Jeff Gates]

Beyond "Where were you..." That's what I was thinking as I wondered how I could respond to the attacks on 9/11. I'm a storyteller and wanted to do a storytelling website. So instead of creating a simple "where were you" platform, I began to think how our individual vantage points that day determined how we experienced 9/11.

I've created "Dichotomy: It Was a Matter of Time and Place" (http://outtacontext.com/dichotomy). It asks viewers to post their stories from two different points of view: "Participants," those who were in NYC or DC or had loved ones or friends who were affected by the tragedy directly and "Witnesses," those elsewhere who experienced the day via the media.

One story from each category is placed next to each other to highlight how "place" determined our experience.

There are some amazing stories on the site. And you can still submit a story if you wish.