Renowned activist speaks on 9/11
Dr. William Schulz focuses on human rights

Katie Colleran | staff editor
kcolleran@smcvt.edu

People crowded into McCarthy Recital Hall to hear Schulz. Katie Colleran, photo

Dr. William Schulz has a lengthy resume. Some highlights include being the former executive director of Amnesty International (USA), an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, the author of two books, and a guest on numerous television news programs. Now serving as the senior fellow at the Center for American Progress in Washington, Schulz can add St. Michael’s College guest-speaker to the list.

Addressing the topic, “Restoring America’s Credibility: Human Rights in a Post 9/11 World," Schulz was the first in a series of three speakers sponsored by the Edmundite Center for Peace and Justice.

“America’s reputation is a stained one,” Schulz says. “Restoring our credibility is not just a nice idea. It is a matter of our lives and our deaths.”

A portion of humble pie

Community members and St. Michael’s students packed into the McCarthy recital hall to hear Schulz, sitting in the aisles and on the stage. Throughout his main points, sprinkled with anecdotes about butterflies, beetles and Japanese housewives, Schulz spoke about America’s reputation in the world and how the country can change it.

Schulz says three factors have resulted in a poor world-wide opinion of the United States: predilection reaching back to the beginning of America’s history, an ascendant political philosophy called neo-conservatism, and the circumstances of Sept. 11.

“Those three coming together has created a perfect storm which has washed out our reputation, as well as thousands of innocent lives,” he says.

A neo-conservative believes that there is a great threat to the world, and in order to counter the threat, the United States needs to take the lead, spreading its form of government by force if necessary. Neo-conservatives are using the events of Sept. 11 to further their cause with disastrous results, Schulz says.

“I doubt if I have to convince you that since that tragic day six years ago that we are commemorating today, since that time, the U.S. has made an enormous number of errors and the consequences of them have been as deadly as the consequences were that day,” he says.

The United States is now seen as a “wounded rogue elephant,” and we have been prevented from providing crucial human rights leadership because the world cannot separate the goals of the neo-conservatives from human rights activists, Schulz says.

Schulz has visited more than 70 countries and has personally seen how America’s actions impact the world.

“I have seen in the eyes of people in other countries, who used to respect the U.S., disappointment,” Schulz says.

Schulz has a number of recommendations for improving the world’s view of America, and solving the Iraq situation tops the list. The only way to bring peace to the Middle East is for the United States to engage the Middle East in negotiation talks, Schulz says.

“And the only way to do that would be for the U.S., in one fashion or another, to eat a portion of humble pie,” he says.

Message of importance

Laurie Gagne is responsible for bringing Schulz to campus. Katie Colleran, photo

Laurie Gagne, director of the Edmundit Center for Peace and Justice, introduced Schulz as a man who “has traveled the globe in pursuit of a world free from human rights violations.” This reputation was one of the factors that led Gagne to invite Schulz to speak at St. Michael’s.

“He has been called the one person in the American human rights movement who has done the most to raise awareness,” she says. “I thought he would be a good person to communicate his views to St. Michael’s and the community.”

It was not difficult to get Schulz to come, especially because he was working on a project that went along with the featured topic, Gagne says.

“I am always delighted when I see a college that is talking to its students about international affairs,” Schulz says.

Gagne says the overflowing crowd shows just how much students do care about world events. But, Schulz was also there to remind students of a national tragedy.

“I wanted to do an event to commemorate 9/11,” Gagne says. “The day is a time to not just look backward at the event and mourn the victims, but to look forward at how the world has changed and how our role in the world needs to change.”

Schulz was a good communicator, making compelling points and keeping the students engaged, Gagne says.

“Even though a lot of the information was depressing, the whole event seemed upbeat,” she says. “I think it’s important for students to hear this because a lot of people still lack a sense of the world as an international community and that was one thing he stressed.”

The turnout for Schulz’s talk has made Gagne optimistic about the next two speakers. To balance the views portrayed in the series “For the Soul of the Nation: Re-thinking the Role of the U.S. in the World," three different perspectives were selected-one liberal (Schulz), one conservative (H.W. Brands) and one radical (Phyllis Bennis), Gagne says. She hopes students will attend them all.

“This first turnout proves students want to think of the big picture,” she says. “I appreciate the students even more. They proved they would come to things that are not concerts.”

Optimism

The statue of St. Michael in front of Hoehl commemorates the college's alumni who died on Sept. 11. Katie Colleran, photo

Sophomore Jamie Gorton was part of the crowd Tuesday night. While he did not feel especially drawn to Schulz, he did think the message fit with the theme of the day, Gorton says.

“His speech felt a bit canned. He’d obviously done it before,” he says. “But, I thought it was appropriate. Not everything that happens on Sept. 11 has to be a memorial. It could also be forward-looking.”

Burlington resident Thia Artemis says she came to the speech because it might help her to look forward.

“I try to celebrate every anniversary of 9/11 with a bit of reflection,” she says. “Schulz was an excellent speaker, dynamic. And he really provided some solutions.”

 With those solutions, Schulz has not given up all hope in the American reputation, acknowledging that the country does have traditions of hospitality and rescue. He simply recommends that we return to our better traditions.

“I think it’s time to try the best of the American tradition and it’s surely time to recognize that our future and our very lives depend upon our doing so,” Schulz says. “We’ve seen the worst. It’s time now for the best.”