by Mike Miller

About the author: Mike Miller is editor of Social Policy, a quarterly journal that examines politics and strategies for community organizing.

We Americans revealed the best of our character during and after the September 11 attack. Priorities changed. People are reaching out to friends, neighbors, strangers and “The Other”. Americans—native born and immigrants, here legally and otherwise—continue to generously give their time, blood and money. Everyday people acted heroically. Sports commentators said they need a term other than “hero” for baseball stars. We’ve come a long way since our World War II internment of Japanese-Americans, and we still have a way to go. But for every despicable anti-Arab/anti-Muslim act, there are laudable stories of people reaching out to and protecting Muslim neighbors, co-workers...