Remembering September 11th
Collected by Shanna Alley, Samantha Biswas, Jillian Curtis, Julia Dent, Jackie Dering, Sarah Potraz, Christa Riley, Ritika Seal, and Lizzie Wood.
image via Newsweek
In observance of the tenth anni
versary of the events that occured
on September ii, 2001 the Mer
edith Herald staff asked members
of the Meredith community what
thoughts, feelings and images came
to mind when thinking of this date.
These are their collected responses.
“I was in disbelief. I remember
thinking “How could this happen
here? This is America.” Elizabeth
Warren, Senior.
“I was most afraid that what hap
pened in New York City would hap
pen to me and my family.” Sarah
Acampora, Freshman.
“After days of relentless media cov
erage, I couldn’t stand it anymore
and turned everything off. Then
I noticed the silence in Raleigh.
There weren’t any trains or planes,
all of the regular sounds had
stopped. Not only that, my family
was changed in an unexpected way.
My sister joined the U.S. Army at
age 33, and has been in service for
almost ten years.” Carmen Chris
topher Caviness, director of
The Learning Center.
“Since then, I see the event more in
perspective- it was devastating, but
tragedies like this occur all over the
world, everyday, with barely any
news coverage.” Cullen Cornett,
Senior.
“I lost a family member in one of
the Twin Towers, so my family is
now more cautious. I see the world
as being more vulnerable now.”
Franchesca Doblado, Fresh
man.
“All day we had the TV on, watch
ing the same footage over and over
of the plane hitting the tower.”
Nancy East, Senior.
“I most remember the speech Presi
dent George W. Bush gave after the
terrorist attacks. I don’t get scared
very easily, but I was ddfinitely
shaken up by what had happened.”
Barker Wiggins, Sophomore.
“Our rights and freedoms as Ameri
cans are not what they were before
9/11 and the age of ‘terrorism’.
Undoubtedly, threats to US security
exist, but does that really classify
each of those threats as terrorism?
The government and the media
have instilled a sense of fear in the
public. Our generation has grown
up to fear this vague concept of
terrorism. In some cases, efforts to
ward counter-terrorism have even
served as justification for global
policing. The term ‘terrorism’ has
been morphed into a tool for ma
nipulation.” Branna Willliams,
Senior.
“Our school didn’t tell us about it
as far as I can remember. I came
home and my mother said that the
twin towers came down. I asked
her what the towers were and she
just told me not to worry about it. I
wish that I would have asked more
about it, but I think my mom just
didn’t want me to cry.” Felicia
King, Freshman.
“I saw the second plane hit. I
remember thinking that this must
be a serious situation because we
didn’t sing in music class that day,
we sat and talked about what we
saw on the news. I remember my
dad watching the death toll rise
when I got home from school.”
Cindy Kohnen, Senior.
“The attacks were awful acts of
destruction and terrorism, and it
is challenging to raise a daughter
in these time and insure that she
is welcoming and kind to all yet
mindful of some who may cause her
harm.” Danny Green, Associate
Vice President for Enrollment
“I am from Fayetteville which is
right next to Fort Bragg, and I was
scared that something bad would
happen and my home would be a
target.” Sarah Gregory, Senior.
“The long term negative results of
the anger and blame our society
still feels continues to be portrayed
by increased racial profiling, perse
cution toward particular religious
groups and decrease trust in our
government.” Paula Meredith,
Junior.
“I was in 6th grade. I remember
watching it on TV in class and 40
of us were filed in one classroom.
I didn’t know what was going on at
the time, but I remember feeling
scared and confused.” Karla Shu-
ford. Senior.
“At first, I heard that something
had happened in New York and
really did not pay much attention
to it and did not realize the grav
ity of the situation. In a matter of
minutes we heard that something
equally destructive had happened
in Washington D.C, here is when I
got worried. I called up my uncle
who lived in DC to make sure he
was alright.” Dr. Karthik Ag-
horam, professor of Biological
Science.
“I was in the kitchen with my aunt
and there was a picture on the front
page of the newspaper. It wasn’t
focused but you could tell someone
was jumping out of the tower head
first.” Sallie Lee, Senior.
“I have become a prouder Ameri
can and a stronger individual in
my faith.” Katelyn Whitehead,
Freshman.
“I never knew what a terrorist
was before then, ^earned what
a terrorist was.” Amanda Baity,
Senior.
“In some ways we have become
more aware of the affect that US
policies and media have on people
all over the world, in particular
the Arab world. In some instances
this has generated a call for more
just and fair policies towards other
governments and peoples and also
for a more sensitive and realistic
depiction of them in media and
culture. Sadly, there are those who
see 9/11 not as a wake up call to be
better versions of ourselves and to
live up to our ideals and values, but
as an excuse to demonstrate Ameri
can might and power no matter the
consequences.” Dr. Steven Ben-
ko, professor of Religion and
Ethical Studies.
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