Breaking Down the Barriers

On September 10, 2005 from 8:30 to 3:30, Service for Peace as well as other groups participated in a “One Day’s Pay” service project. One Day’s Pay is a national day of service centered on honoring the lives lost in the events of September 11. The theme for this year’s project was titled “Breaking Down the Barriers.” The goal of the group was to reconstruct relations between Muslims and other religions that the actions of the 9/11 terrorists affected.
The day’s plans included projects at three distinct locations in Bridgeport. One was located at the Sheehan Center, an after school program for kids ages 6 to 14. We assisted with an orientation at the center for incoming members. As a side activity, pillows with September 11 remembrance messages were made to honor the day. The other two sites were the Black Rock Arts Center and the Bridgeport Prospect House. Both sites involved interior maintenance such as painting, and the Prospect House had the additional service of preparing lunch for its residents. In total, the projects generated about 25 to 30 volunteers, enough to get the job done, though more would have been helpful.
Since one of the day’s goals was to inform people on the true nature of the Muslim faith, Service for Peace invited several speakers from the Muslim Student Association on campus as well as others of the Muslim faith to speak about their religion and experiences. Among them were Fahim Mohammad, Imam Nasif, as well as the Muslim Student Association leader. There explanations had different topics which provided a well rounded idea of Islam to participants.
To wrap up the day, Service for Peace held a moment of silence to honor and remember those lost in the tragedy of Sept. 11. This ceremony was accompanied with a board filled with newspaper articles about conflicts all over the world as a way of remembering what terrorist acts can do to our society. Participants also shared their own feelings about why they chose to participate in the service projects and about anything they learned regarding Islam/Christian relations. Many participants felt that this project brought the different religions closer together.