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CNN Live Today

Interview of Ellen McGirt, Jay Golden, "Love Letter from America"

Aired April 01, 2002 - 11:56   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: The horrific events of September 11 inspired two writers to set off on a journey to rediscover America. Let's talk to them right now. Joining us is Ellen McGirt and Jay Golden. They are in our New York Bureau this morning to tell us about the "Love Letter from America."

Good morning, folks. Good to see you. What is this all about?

JAY GOLDEN, WRITER: Good morning.

ELLEN MCGIRT, WRITER: Good morning, it is great to see you. Well, like so many people, there was life before September 11 and after September 11, and I'm based in New York, although I happened to be in California on that day. Jay and I were both writers, working on other projects. Jay is also a performer. But suddenly, nothing we were working on seemed relevant anymore. It seemed to be just -- nothing that I was interested or that anybody else was interested in. Spending the next couple of weeks, searching for who was missing in my life, and what it all meant, we observed a great conversation happening around us. People calling each other to say that they loved each other, that they cared, and sharing stories, talking about what the future was going to bring, and what our role was going to be in it. So, Jay and I decided to put our lives on hold, and raise a little money, not much, buy some digital equipment, rent a car, and we drove north over the Golden Gate Bridge, and had been zig-zagging around the country, 16,000 miles, to meet our neighbors.

HARRIS: Let me ask you about that. I have got to move along because we had so much breaking news, we are real short of time this morning. What you guys did, was you just basically traveled across the entire country recording comments from people?

GOLDEN: Yeah, it was a time where people were together, and they were so welcoming and generous to us, and we just went in to hear their stories because we believed the best way to tell the story of America at a time of crisis is to tell the story of the people that live here. So, mostly sitting and hearing their stories.

HARRIS: What kind of stories did you hear? Give us a real quick one.

GOLDEN: Oh, jeez.

HARRIS: Put you on the spot.

GOLDEN: One great story is of a man named Charles Clark (ph), a custodian in Euless, Texas, who basically is this incredible kind of local hero to the community. He -- during the day, he cleans the school and during the afternoons he counsels the kids, dedicates himself to living fully, and basically just helping people all over the place.

Really incredible stories.

HARRIS: Find that kind of a theme recurrent all across the country.

MCGIRT: Oh, absolutely. In people's lives -- they interface with current events, they interface with natural disasters, economic bloom times, bust times. We spent Pearl Harbor Day with a Pearl Harbor survivor in Columbus, Ohio, a man we just happened to meet, who invited us into his home. We went through scrap books, and we heard the entire story of his life, and how his life was changed by that one monumental event. Civil Rights foot soldiers in Alabama. The people who made sure the Marches happened, who went to jail. Joanne Bland (ph) of the Voting Rights Museum, who was arrested 13 times before her 13 birthday to make sure we all could vote and we all could be free. Being able to cobble together these life stories is a wonderful way to take a snapshot at America at a time when people were really interested in treating each other as citizens, and we were certainly treated as family everywhere we went.

HARRIS: Well, we have got to run now, but I want to give folks a chance to find out where they can see all this, and you all have a web site where they can see -- can they see the video, and hear the stories as well there?

MCGIRT: They can read our travel logs and see pictures at loveletterfromamerica.com.

HARRIS: All one word, loveletterfromamerica.

MCGIRT: That's it.

GOLDEN: And we will come by and visit you.

HARRIS: I bet you would. From Golden Gate Bridge to Euless, Texas, I have been there. That's a heck of a drive, guys.

MCGIRT: It sure is.

GOLDEN: 16,000 miles.

HARRIS: Boy, oh boy. Congratulations on a good -- we'll have to check out that web site.

GOLDEN: Thanks, Leon.

HARRIS: Good luck, Ellen McGirt and Jay Golden, hope to see you later on. MCGIRT: Thank you.

GOLDEN: Right on.

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