Paxton, Massachusetts

Reflection written by Stephanie Williams, Director of Multicultural Affairs, Anna Maria College.

Attendance: There were approx. 30 people that attended the film screening at Anna Maria College on Monday, Sept. 15 at Anna Maria College at 5:30 p.m. The two moderators present were: Navjeet Singh and Dr. Paul Russell.

Sept. 11 birthed a new stage in American history and this documentary is an examination of the larger issues surrounding the hate crimes that occurred after Sept. 11th. We knew life in America would never be the same after the terrorist attacks, but no one knew exactly how it would change.

Although America has always been a divided country, people who are privileged enough not to have to accept or even acknowledge their privilege have pushed America even further into a sense of isolation. People who look different from the “typical American” or what society views as the “typical American” felt as though they had no right in the nation’s united sorrow because there is a disconnection in the "we" in "United We Stand."

The relatively benign images projected on television did not capture the enormity of the human suffering and or the “American” suffering. I truly believe that there is a desire across America for change, not necessarily from control by one political party to another, but a change from living with lies to living with the “American” truth.

I feel as though this film is a perfect example of a quote by Zora Neale Hurston: “I will fight for my country, but I will not lie for her.” Who really knows the true America? If people are so caught up in their own ideologies and beliefs and if they are so blind to their privilege they will never understand or even grasp who/what America truly is or what America actually stands for.