This Sunday is the 10th anniversary of 9/11.
I have racked my brain for something, really anything, to say about this occasion. I fear that this column will come across too trite or unappreciative.
I have a feeling that for a lot of the students enrolled this year, the memories of that day are incredibly similar. One moment we are in class and the next, a teacher receives word and has the difficult task of explaining to a bunch of pre-teens the most horrific attack on our country since WWII.
For me, I was sitting in my sixth grade math class and my teacher, Ms. Garmon, gave us the blunt, abridged version: Hijackers flew planes into the Twin Towers. We all knew we should feel shock and sadness but could not locate the proper source.
As many readers will understand, growing up in the Midwest meant growing up a little isolated. I did not know anyone on the East Coast, let alone in New York City. I did not know what significance the Twin Towers had. I did not understand why anyone wanted to bomb us.
Now we are 10 years removed.
Many of us know people who live in New York City. Many of us have been to New York City. Some of us have made it down to Ground Zero to pay our respects to the 2,606 who died unnecessarily. When we watch movies set in NYC, we can tell if it was in a pre- or post-9/11 world. Check out the skyline, bro.
Unfortunately, 10 years later, post-traumatic stress disorder remains in America’s psyche. Everything the nation felt immediately after the attacks is still in play, and it has its costs.
The heroes who immediately arrived on the scene to rescue the victims and the volunteers who came later to help clean up now have diseases from the dust. The towers’ remains contain carcinogens like asbestos and construction materials. The volunteers breathed this material in and according to research published by The Lancet, there was a “19 percent increase in cancer diagnosis in the first seven years for the firefighters working at Ground Zero.”
Rampant Islamophobia and xenophobia has its costs as well. How many of the readers are friends with Muslim students? How many of the readers know anything about Islam? The prevailing fear and complete misunderstanding of Muslim Americans leads to people like Herman Cain becoming serious contenders for the GOP candidacy.
Other, non-Muslim Middle Eastern and South Asian communities, specifically Sikhs, have been disproportionally targeted in hate crimes in the aftermath of 9/11. Sikhs had nothing to do with the attacks, but because many men wear turbans, they all of a sudden were fair game. Yes, that makes complete sense. Fortunately, hate crime rates against Muslims, Sikhs, Middle Easterners and South Asians have abated.
Over time, this anniversary has moved from grieving to celebration in the form of community unity. In Columbia, there is a peace march. In New York City, faith groups participate in days of service. In St. Louis, an interfaith service will take place.
For those planning on memorial events this weekend, I have to encourage you to take part in these types of activities. Go to a community center of a different faith. Meet people of a different ethnicity. Engage in conversations to challenge your worldview.
It has been 10 years. Let’s start rebuilding the American community.
