Catherwood LibraryILR School

One year after what has been called the Pearl Harbor of our times, lasting effects of the September 11 attacks on the workplaces and working lives of Americans are, for most, subtle but undeniable. Although high unemployment has made many workers unwilling to rock the boat, many have begun to reevaluate where their jobs fall in terms of life priorities, and have made or at least contemplated changes that allow them to spend more time with their loved ones. The prevalence of employee assistance and emotional counseling programs has increased in the American workplace, as has the prevalence of security measures and background checks---even as employees continue to debate whether too little is being done to protect them or too much done to infringe upon their privacy. The worst of the American people continues to show itself as Muslims, Arabs, Sikhs and individuals mistaken for members of these cultural and religious groups face ongoing hostility, discrimination and even violence on the job because of the ignorance and prejudice of a few and the fear of many. The best is also seen, however, as many Americans continue to condemn not only the terrorist attacks on our country, but also the racist attacks by some of us against fellow Americans singled out because of their beliefs or skin color. On this anniversary of a day as hard to comprehend as it is impossible to leave behind, perhaps the best legacy that we can hope for from the past year is an appreciation for the working men and women who one year ago risked or gave their lives to save others. Whether the police officers, firefighters and EMT?s whose jobs it is to risk their lives every day to protect the rest of us, to run in when others run out, or the countless everyday heroes---the teachers who made sure that not a single one of the city?s students was lost, the ironworkers who worked non-stop at Ground Zero amid the smoke and flames cutting through the wreckage in the search for survivors---we owe a debt of gratitude to these working heroes. Your WIT Editor, Steven Quinn