In true Jumbo tradition, a group of Tufts students pained the cannon commemorating the 10 year anniversary of the September 11th Attacks.
“I was in the 6th grade when 9/11 happened. No one really told us what was going on at school but some kids were pulled out of class. I just remember overhearing things about New York and getting really scared because so much of my family lives and works in the New York area. By the time I got home and saw the news I was pretty much glued to the screen. Thankfully my family members were safe but I do have an acquaintance that lost her father that day, yet her resilience and positive outlook amazes me. I still can’t watch the actual footage of the events without getting teary eyed but I’m glad that I got to experience that day. In a way it forced a lot of us to grow up and realize that there are horrible things that can happen and no one is immune from those things. It’s almost unreal that 10 years have passed.”
–Afia Boakye
A Memorial in Davis Square draws many to pay tribute to those who lost their lives, lighting a candle or holding a moment of silence.
“On 9/11, I remember being sheltered. It was the middle of the school day and the teachers wouldn’t tell us what was going on, but everyone knew it was serious. Our English teacher made us write an essay on what we thought was going on, so I wrote about how I thought a bomb went off on a subway somewhere. It was just a strange, sad experience all around but one that I remember vividly.”
–Danielle Carbonneau
An interfaith service is held at Goddard Chapel.
“Ten years can feel like an incredibly long time for some people, but for others an event that occurred a decade ago can still resonate like it was yesterday. For me, I still remember the events of 9/11 like I recall the Disney movies I watched hundreds of times as a child. Since they both define a huge part of growing up for me. Although I was seemingly far removed in Maine, it scared me to realize how interconnected my community was, playing host to four of the suicide bombers before they embarked on their infamous and terrible journey that sent shockwaves around the world. One of my friends had even seen one of them the night before at a restaurant. From then on the world felt really small to me, finding ties between events and people I never expected. That interconnectivity seems to be what stuck with me after 9/11; the links between despair and hope, tragedy and unity, bitter hatred and overwhelming love, a cloud of darkness and glimmers of hope.”
–Justin McCallum
Tufts Composers held a concert dedicated to the occasion, “Ten Years later: Musical Responses to 9/11”
“I heard about 9/11 on the radio when my dad was driving me to school in fifth grade. The normally packed six-lane 101 freeway in Los Angeles was eerily empty. When we listened to the news, my dad turned back around and brought me home. My mom and I watched the news all afternoon. It was a really surreal experience. I felt so many things at once that they all mixed together and turned into a sort of numbness.”
–Alex Chu
“I would say that 9/11 redefined my definition of safety. Being in third grade at the time of the attacks, I had never been much of a “global person.” I knew other countries existed, and often had to place them on a map, but had never really knew anything about them… After 9/11, I was forced to realize that there were other countries and groups within foreign nations that wanted to harm the US, Americans, people in my town, my family, me… Suddenly I didn’t even feel safe in my own house, let alone enough to visit New York City again. It took only a few days for me to regain comfort in my home, and less than six months to return to the city. I realized that I was going to be safe, and even if I wasn’t, worrying about it wasn’t going to change a thing. It was exactly what the terrorists wanted – fear. And even at age eight, I wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction any longer.”
–Allison Jeffery