On the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, Meron Langsner, AG11, overslept “a little,” as he recalls in his autobiographical one-act play, Bystander 9/11. As he rode the subway to his job in New York’s financial district, the play’s Narrator acknowledges with the breezy confidence of youth, “OK, so I was late for work again.” 

But as he exited the train under the World Trade Center, any notion of routine was shattered. Rushing through the turnstile was a “screaming mass of people headed right at you. But that was only the beginning.”

The political polarization in the U.S. can seem hopeless. Television pundits and politicians stoke stereotypes, driving a wedge between neighbors, friends, and families. But Diane Hessan, J76, A11P, believes there’s a way out of the quagmire. In her new book, Our Common Ground: Insights from Four Years of Listening to American Voters, Hessan shares what she’s gleaned from conversations conducted weekly with more than 500 voters across the political spectrum.

Why I Give: Maria Madison, J82, AG88, A19P, A21P, EG20P

An alumni trustee and Tufts parent, Maria Madison, J82, AG88, A19P, A21P, EG20P, has long worked to build a bright future for the university. She serves on an alumni group advising the university on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion. She is also the associate dean for diversity, equity, and inclusion at Brandeis University’s Heller School, and new director of the Institute for Economic and Racial Equity.

What did your Tufts education give you?