Home >  Nation & World >  U.S. News

Wednesday, September 11, 2002

By Erv Dyer, Post-Gazette Staff Writer

A year after Sept. 11, Molly Rush holds on to hope for a world she thinks is "going to hell in a handbasket."

The 67-year-old head of the Thomas Merton Center and indefatigable activist for peace and justice is encouraged to know more young people are signing on to make a difference.

Sept. 11 showed them they have to care, she said. "Their awareness of issues has grown. It's like a burst of new energy."

Students at the University of Pittsburgh advocate for a living wage and search for clarity on global justice. A group called Z was begun at Carnegie Mellon University and quickly became a multi-faceted organization concerned about the erosion of civil liberties in the aftermath of Sept. 11.

"We can't do it all, but we can serve as a resource to get things done," said Rush of the Merton Center's mission.