Issue How might the experiences of different cultural groups affect their perceptions of September 11 and sense of American identity? Starter America Is Ours, Too By Vernon E. Jordan Jr. "Now that America is warring on terrorism, it is black people who can remind America that we know it well. We remember the terrorism that swept the South during the Civil Rights Movement. We remember the lynchings. We remember the four little girls killed in the bombing of a Birmingham church. We also know that the surest defense against terrorism is the affirmation of America's basic values—the values that we learned in our churches, the values we have fought and died for. I cannot speak of our values without invoking the role of the black church in our lives. It was the black church that gave us the spiritual strength to battle our way to equal rights. It was the black church that gave the Civil Rights Movement many of its leaders and its troops in the revolution for equality. It was the fervor of the black church that helped remind us—and the nation—that America is ours, too. That America is sprinkled with our sweat, watered with our tears and fertilized with our blood. That we helped build America's power and glory, that we dug taters, toted cotton and lifted bales. That we, too, sing "God Bless America." We, too, sing "Oh beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain." And today, as America faces the mindless evil of terrorism, we, too, stand alongside our fellow citizens for America and freedom." Excerpted from Savoy (Special Issue: America's Tragedy), December 2001/January 2002 Focus Questions How does Vernon Jordan compare the historical experience of African Americans to the current American "war on terrorism" in the aftermath of September 11, 2001? What do you think he means by "terrorism"? Do you agree with his understanding of what "terrorism" is? What do you think Vernon Jordan means by "America's basic values"? When you think of "America's basic values," what comes to your mind? "America is ours, too." Who do you think can make this claim? Should make this claim? How do you think they earn the right to do so? Suggested Resources Vernon Can Read!: A Memoir The life and times of Vernon E. Jordan Jr., civil rights leader, lawyer, and political adviser. Barnes and Noble site includes excerpts from the book. The National Civil Rights Museum Website of Memphis educational institution on the civil rights movement in the United States. Located in the Lorraine Motel, where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in 1968. More resources for this topic Permission to use text and photo courtesy of Vernon Jordan Starters for this topic: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  All (.pdf) Note: The views expressed here have not been approved by the House of Delegates or the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, and accordingly, should not be construed as representing the policy of the American Bar Association, nor do they represent the official position or policies of the ABA Standing Committee on Public Education.