In the year and a half it has taken me to construct this text, the events of September 11, 2001 have overshadowed the Columbine shooting as a scene of violence and despair (as well as hope) regarding the ability of human beings to have compassion for one another.

Upon reflection I have decided not to re-construct this aspect of the text. The events at Columbine were contextually connected to my understanding of this text -- the connections between the experience of springtime and a sense of rebirth and the shock at the acts of violence, the "insider" status of the killers, and the personally targeted nature of the attacks all were intimately connected to my understanding of Williams' text and her uniquely personal descriptions of racism.

However, the September 11th attacks have certainly (and in a more global way) brought forward issues of violence, compassion, and the possibilities and complications of rebirth. With that in mind I offer here several links to sites constructed to discuss the attacks.

• Link One
  
  
• Link Two
  
  
• Link Three