Evanston resident Anya Cordell is trying hard to convince people that the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks killed people beyond New York City and Washington, D.C. She wants the history books of the future to “tell the whole story,” including those of the victims of backlash crimes following Sept. 11.

Cordell has begun the “Campaign for Collateral Compassion,” which tries to raise awareness and solicit donations for the victims of hate crimes that occurred in response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Now she has created a CD containing an audio essay that details her experience with the families of these victims. She also recalls the uphill battle she has fought to get relief funding for these families.

Cordell says these people also should be treated as victims of the Sept. 11 attacks and not as unfortunate by-products.

When Cordell first heard about these hate crimes, which include the highly publicized murder of a Sikh man in Arizona, her initial reaction was, as she describes it, the act of a good neighbor.

“If I had been one of their neighbors, I’d probably figure out a way to introduce myself and try to reach out,” Cordell said.

With the help of the Internet, she was able to make contact with the families and began her campaign almost immediately.

“I had really been impressed at a young age by reading ‘Anne Frank’s Diary,'” Cordell said. “And I always asked myself, ‘What would I have done if I had been Anne Frank’s neighbor?'”

The 9/11 Backlash

On Sept. 15, 2001, Balbir Singh Sodhi, a gas station owner in Mesa, Ariz., was gunned down outside his station. According to the Washington Post, his killer had spent the hours before the murder in a bar, bragging about his desire to kill the people responsible for Sept. 11.

On the same day, a Pakistani man in Dallas, Texas, was shot in his convenience store by Mark Stroman, who was later convicted of the crime.

In nearby Mesquite, Texas, on Oct. 4, Stroman also shot and killed Vasudev Patel, an Indian gas station owner.

According to a report released in 2002 by the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, more than 600 Sept. 11-related hate crimes were committed against Arabs, Muslims and those perceived to be Arab or Muslim, such as Sikhs and South Asians.

‘Alarming’ obstacles

Cordell’s first step in her project was to organize a letter-writing campaign to both politicians and charities, hoping to appeal to people’s sense of goodwill. But little came out of it except frustration, she said.

“People would ask repeatedly, ‘Why are you doing this?’ or, ‘Who is paying for you to do this?'” Cordell said. “They weren’t interested in the issues at all.”

Government officials referred her to the charities spearheading funds for the victims of Sept. 11, but those charities — which include the Red Cross — refused to buy Cordell’s argument that these families also are victims and deserve compensation. Cordell says the Sept. 11 relief funds have more than enough money to spare, having raised a combined $3 billion to date.

Response from politicians was “alarming,” Cordell said. She points to the example of Rep. Sue Myrick (R-N.C.), who was quoted as explaining national security breaches by saying “look who runs all the convenience stores.”

Cordell said that “one heard Bush say on a few occasions that we mustn’t have a backlash, but when you really care about something, you repeat it over and over again.”

Tragedy and persistence

Despite the opposition, Cordell says she’s not giving up.

“I have more ideas that I can execute and get some relief for these families,” Cordell said. “Personally I’ve become a friend to these families and hopefully an emotional support net.

“Sometimes you just have to go with what is right even if it feels like it’s not enough.”

In 2002 Cordell joined Sodhi’s family in Arizona for a memorial service, where she befriended Alka Patel, the widow of Vasudev Patel.

Patel’s widow works 15 hours a day at the family store and is desperately trying to hold together both her family and finances, Cordell said.

“They’re such incredible people, despite the tragic circumstances,” Cordell said. “They are trying to continue their lives in a country that was not very responsive to their tragedy.”

After spending extended periods of time with the families, Cordell decided she had to sit down and write out the story. An audio-essay seemed a natural outlet to express her passion for this issue.

“When you tell a story from a personal perspective, it’s different from reading a sheaf of papers,” she said.

Lon Ellenberger, a graduate student in Northwestern’s School of Music, worked with Cordell on the CD to provide the background music.

“I was really impressed by her spirit and enlightened by what she was saying,” Ellenberger said. “She truly understands that racism is a sad theme in humanity.”

For Cordell, though, these hate crimes are clearly symbolic of what she calls “America’s obsession with appearance and beauty.”

“It is not okay with me if people are being misjudged just because of the way they look,” Cordell said. “People should be allowed to be who they are and proud of who they are. Hate crimes are never alright, no matter what the context.”

To learn more about the Campaign for Collateral Compassion or order Cordell’s CD, visit www.collateralcompassion.org.

Reach Malavika Jagannathan at [email protected].