"The issue is not about who or what they are," wrote Philip Zelikow, Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission and former director of UVA’s Miller Center for Public Affairs, in 2009. "It is about who or what we are."
In the wake of the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, “what we are” isn’t that clear. Some of us are proponents of a war aimed at justice. Others opponents of an unjustified war that creates suffering. Some of us are both, or neither. We’re victims linked by mourning, media frenzy, memories, memorials, and our many notions of patriotism. Together, we’re a living record of the decade since 9/11, during which our country re-shaped its relationship to the rest of the world. In Charlottesville, as in all cities, we’re neighbors.
There are numerous local events planned for the 10th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, including memorials for locals who have lost their lives as emergency responders.
We would like to ask you to share your 9/11 stories. Help us to create a comprehensive local picture of a national tragedy. Where were you? How has your country, your city or your life changed since?
Leave your comments and thoughts below.
