Messages of peace, tolerance and civil liberties, swamped in recent weeks by the increasingly strident war rhetoric, were the centerpiece at a social justice service held on the steps of the Capitol on Sep 11th.

The multi-faith commemorative service, jointly organized by religious and ethnic organizations across the Twin Cities, was attended by a crowd of almost 200 that represented every skin color from ivory to ebony. An enthusiastic performance by colorfully dressed Laotian drummers kicked off the session. Mayors R. T. Ryback and Randy Kelly, the keynote speakers, spoke about the need for tolerance in the Twin Cities. Prayers were led by a Rabbi, a pastor and groups of chanting Buddhist priests. Prayers were also offered in the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu faiths. Ritual drumming by Native American drummers provided a mourning refrain. The audience was asked to remember and mourn not just the nearly 3000 victims of the Sep 11th attacks, but also the victims of hate crimes and the innocent civilians in Afghanistan. The close to 100 undocumented workers in the Twin Towers were remembered, as was Balbir Singh Lodhi, killed as a result of misguided retaliation last year in Dallas. Native American and black speakers spoke about the pain their communities have experienced in the past. They offered the examples of their struggles to illustrate the need for the latest wave of immigrants to continue the fight for equality under the law. Speaker after speaker stressed that the Sep 11th terrorists did not represent the Muslim faith, and that Islam did not condone such acts of violence. The audience was told that, inspite of different ethnic and religious backgrounds, it made up the fabric that is America today. To emphasize that, all present were led through a rendering of ‘This land is my land, this land is your land’. A fitting finale to an evening of solidarity!

- Sudha Nagavarapu