My E-Mail

I was just going to “skim” through my e-mail quickly before I left the office. (Yes, 8:15, and I am still here…) I had two e-mails just JUMP out at me though, and I had to stop and write about them now, before I head home.

THE POWER OF ONE

As the soot and dirt and ash rained down, We became one color.
As we carried each other down the stairs of the burning building, We became one class.
As we lit candles of waiting and hope, We became one generation.
As the firefighters and police officers fought their way into the inferno, We became one gender.
As we fell to our knees in prayer for strength, We became one faith.
As we whispered or shouted words of encouragement, We spoke one language.
As we gave our blood in lines a mile long, We became one body.
As we mourned together the great loss, We became one family.
As we cried tears of grief and loss, We became one soul.
As we retell with pride of the sacrifice of heros, We become one people.
We are
One color
One class
One generation
One gender
One faith
One language
One body
One family
One soul
One people
We are The Power of One.
We are United.
We are
AMERICA.

Wow. So true. That poem really hit me for some reason… and then I came to an e-mail from Naomi with an interesting subject line…

7000 I’s — a collaborative project

From DS Hendler:
As the numbers keep rising of the missing and dead in the September 11 tragedy, it gets harder and harder for me to get a grasp on the number of people lost. The numbers are edging towards 7000, and I am not sure we will ever know exactly how many are gone.

Each person is a point of view, a perspective. Perhaps that’s trite–I don’t mean it to be. The poet Quincy Troupe uses the word “eye” instead of “I” to emphasize the physicality and point of view of the speaker. I’m proposing to do the opposite: I want to collect 7000 copies of the 9th letter of the alphabet as a living memorial to those now gone. I think it would be more meaningful if many people did it, rather than just myself, so I am asking for 700 volunteers to make 10 “I’s” each and send them to me. I think 700 is a manageable number. How you make your “I” is up to you–digital, pen,

paint, whatever.

As I get them, I’ll post pictures and copies to a project URL . If you would like to help, please e-mail me (that’s DS Hendler, NOT Christine) with your name, address, web address if you have one, how many you’d like to do (1-10), and whether you want your name attached to your work, and I’ll send you my address and further project information.

You don’t have to be an artist to join the project! Also, feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested in participating. To sign up, email DS. Visit The 7000 I’s project’s current home for more information.