Residents remember Sept. 11 at peace vigil

By Grace Meiners

Published Sept. 14, 2007

Mid-Missouri Peaceworks steering committee member Gregg Bush said the country's attitude toward the world after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks is filled with war and violence. To give the citizens of Columbia an alternate way to remember Sept. 11, he organized the "A Peaceful World is Possible" candlelight vigil Tuesday at Courthouse Square.

"Whenever we talk about the world of Sept. 11, we talk about a world of war," Bush said. "We want to talk about the world of Sept. 12, and that world involves forgiveness."

Bush said he wanted to give Columbia residents a way to move forward from the trauma of Sept. 11.

"Through lamentation, we can still find joy and even celebration," he said.

Through various connections and suggestions, Bush and other organizers assembled the speakers and performers for the evening. Psychologists Taleb Khairallah and Laura Schopp and human rights activist Iman Sandra Labadia spoke at the vigil. There were also performances by a group from Midwest Chocolate, a local rap production company, and Poetry in Motion.

Bush said the group of presentations helped to show those attending the various ways people live peaceful lives.

"Everything was so different and so diverse," he said.

Bush said one of the most important messages of the night is that peacemaking can come in many forms.

Bush said he especially appreciated the youthful energy of Poetry in Motion.

"They are younger than I am, and how cool is it for them to say, 'My friends came to see me as a part of a peace event'?" he said.

In order for a memorial event to be genuine, Bush said it must pay respect with sincerity. He said he felt the vigil was successful in those terms.

"It was very much Columbia," he said. "It gave a reason for people to come out of their homes and mourn and reflect and to be a part of a community that seeks nothing less than peace."

Bush said about 175 people attended the event.

"I think the biggest problem of the evening was that there should have been hundreds of different Sept. 11 memorials where people had to choose where to go in order to remember the families ripped apart that day, because they went to work or decided to get on a plane," he said.