The Echoes of "41 Shots":Springsteen and His American Skin

unwed mothers ("Spare Parts"), illegal immigrants ("Across The Border") and AIDS ("The Streets of Philadelphia"). His music has fostered understanding as it gently nudges us toward the truth, even when it's hard, painful, or ugly. And as he's done this for me and for countless others, I've grown to admire Springsteen as someone who truly loves America enough to have the courage to point out how we can work to make it better.

The crowd was hushed, even reverent, when I first saw "American Skin" performed at the Garden this week. In the silence you could hear some scattered booing, but the crowd for the most part was listening intently to the repeated reminder of "41 shots". It was a moment of remembering, of courage. It was one of the most powerful moments I'd witnessed in my 20-plus years of attending Springsteen concerts.

Some say the song opens old wounds, just at the time the city is healing. But even in healing, the one thing we cannot - must not - forget is the reality of that overreaction, the tragedy of those 41 shots. Yes, wounds heal, but scars remain. And remembering how we got hurt in the first place is the best way to avoid being hurt again.

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