Every year Sept. 11th comes and goes with less and less emphasis on the tragedy of the day. We are not forgetting, so why does the day have less of an impact on our week? On a day where thousands of people were killed, thousands more were injured and our safety was compromised, we should be doing more to remember.
In middle school, I remember having prayer services and moments of silence in every class. There was an overall feeling of sadness and solemnity as we took time to look in on ourselves and send thoughts to the families of those who lost loved ones. We were encouraged to talk about the tragedy if it was helpful. News stations showed footage of memorials, restated the facts and discussed the repercussions still prevalent in airports, fear and unfair racial profiling.
As the years went on I noticed that the media spoke less of the attacks when the 11th rolled around. Several teachers chose to mention it in their classes and guidance counselors offered their office to students. It seemed as if people were forgetting, or rather perhaps they wished they could forget.
I have been disappointed by the lack of acknowledgement not only on campus, but on all platforms. I know those who lost loved ones or who were closer to the site that day will never forget and will always have that sinking feeling when they see the date. Everyone remembers exactly where they were and what they were doing the second that the planes hit the towers. It was as if time was frozen until people could process what had happened and how they felt.
Not one professor acknowledged that it was 9/11 this year. There were no moments of silence. There was no campus email offering the counseling services or the chapel. There was no acknowledgement that students and faculty and staff might be hurting more on this particular day due to what was taken from them. I was only three years old on September 11th 2001. I did not lose anyone close to me and I was in Massachusetts, far from the Twin Towers. I still think about 9/11 the week leading up to it and the day itself is something to dread. People are grieving every year and the pain does not go away with time. It is our job to show we care. It is a university’s job to offer their condolences to its community and it is our nation’s job to remember.