There was a great story on NPR’s “This American Life” this week. Back in 1999, on an annual list of 354 U.S. & Canada Cities, Kankakee, Illinois was voted the worst – number 354. The criterion included crime rate per capita, climate, unemployment rate, etc. When the list came out, David Letterman (a nearby Indiana native) felt some compassion for Kankakee, knowing that they had (like a lot of Mid-West towns at the time) lost a lot of lot key industries in the 90’s, leaving the town a shell of itself. The last thing he felt that the town needed was to be kicked when it was down. So doing a recurring bit on his show about Kankakee being declared “the worst city in America” , and having some fun with it, made sense.
Here are a few of the Top 10 Slogans for Kankakee “Top 10 List” that debuted on Letterman back in 1999:
4. Abe Lincoln slept her once, accidentally
8. We put the `Ill’ in `Illinois.
7. We also put the `annoy’ in `Illinois.
9. Ask about our staggering unemployment rate.
10. You’ll come for our payphone — you’ll stay because your car’s been stolen.
The TAL segment this week tells of some students at Kankakee High School who recently came across the Letterman segments during a library archive project in which they had to find historical information about their city. Letterman had sent two gazebos to Kankakee in 1999 to be displayed in the town square – his way of giving some encouragement to the town with the unfortunate title. Barely born in 1999, these students had a different feeling about Letterman’s good will.
Rather than being flattered at the notion that Kankakee could be known as the “Town with Twin Gazebos”, the Kankakee students were offended. They viewed the gazebos as “monuments of shame”. They love their town and noted particularly the pride they take in the diversity in their school, and how students of all races get along so well. Despite facing significant opposition from folks in the town who love the gazebos, the students banded together to tear down one of the gazebos and remake it into a rocking chair to send to David Letterman for his pending retirement. The story behind that ran recently on Letterman:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9G83G6ieZE
There’s something redemptive about re-purposing the monuments of our shame, even when the monuments were given to us benevolently. It sounds oddly similar to someone making a conscious effort to bask in a new identity.
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One response to ““This American Life ” – On Re-purposing Our Monuments of Shame”
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It is really interesting to see all of the different places that have picked up this story! I was the teacher of this class, and the one thing I would point out is that the gazebos were not intended as a benevolent gift or a hand up. Nor was Letterman trying to hurt Kankakee. As an entertainer, his purpose was a good joke, and he probably was not considering any impact on the city.
But quite unintentionally he did have a very negative impact on Kankakee. By broadcasting its rating nationwide, he ingrained a temporary selection in the nation’s consciousness. And it wasn’t even rated the worst in the country! Places rated Almanac lists the 300 best towns to live in, and Kankakee was number 300. It would be more accurate to say it was the worst of the best, but when I took the job teaching in Kankakee 6 years ago, people joked about whether I needed a bulletproof vest, and most of them had never even been there.
Our goal was to put Kankakee back in the national spotlight in a way that would again be funny, but also would highlight the good things going on in the city and the progress it has made. The students were able to do that in a way that was kind and thoughtful. According to his producers, Letterman was extremely touched by the quality and workmanship they put into the chair as his retirement gift, and they accomplished their mission as well!
Incidentally, the students also collected money in a local fundraiser to not only replace the gazebo with a community stage for the city’s annual music festival, but also collected enough to add a picnic pavilion for families add another park in a more run down part of the city to help continue its revitalization. I can’t wait to see what these kids go on to do once they have diplomas and degrees!