By: The Blue & White Flash
Tiffany Edmondson Contributed
On Thursday night, during a service that is usually about praise and worship, for a few minutes, those attending the Reformed University Fellowship (RUF) weekly bible study, paused to remember thousands of people they don’t know personally. To mark the 10th anniversary of the worst terrorist act in American history, Rev. Elbert McGowan, campus minister at Jackson State University, said a prayer for the victims, their families and the country that endured 9/11.
On Sept.11, 2001, at 8:46 a.m. American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center’s north tower in New York, to be followed a few minutes later by another plane crashing into the World Trade Center’s south tower, a plane crashing into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. and a fourth crashing into a field in rural Pennsylvania. These commercial airline hijackings by terrorists still resonate throughout the country.
Most people can remember exactly were they were and what they were doing that Tuesday morning a decade ago. Many expressed fear, disbelief, worry about loved ones and a need to communicate with each other. On the next day after the initial shock, more than 400 students, faculty and staff at Jackson State found themselves in a memorial service that also include prayers, reflections, and expressions of hope.
Rev. John Cornelius, the campus minister in 2001, said: “This was a basic need for us to stay in touch with each other after this tragedy. When we are able to communicate with others, then we are able to find comfort.”
This week, JSU students commented on the anniversary of 9/11.
“While I was walking into my 8th grade history class, I noticed the teacher looking at the TV. I thought she was watching a movie. It was one of the most significant days of my life and it made me think of how my life was changing,” said Corey Wilson, a JSU senior psychology major from Jackson, Miss. “Being 13 and having no worries changed when I saw one of America’s tallest buildings being destroyed. That day changed America and the country went down. Gas prices rose, milk became to high, and the cost of living was not cheap any more. Everything changed.”
Alan Johnson, a JSU senior political sciene major from Atlanta, Ga. said, “On the morning of the tragic events of 9/11, I was in the 6th grade. I was in my homeroom class at Crabapple Middle School in Roswell, Georgia. The teachers didn’t let us know what was going on, but they were being very uneasy and frantic. Many kids were being picked up early by their parents, including myself.”
Quaylon Prather, a senior elementary education major from Ripley, Miss., said: “I was at work at the time and I noticed many people talking about something happening in New York City. It was like a movie until I got home and realized that we were under attack. I was in a state of shock and had a mixture of emotions. I was sad, angry, and had a lot of fear.”
The JSU Center for Service and Community Engaged Learning is suggesting that helping others be included in ways to commemorate the day. The center has not planned any specific activities, but is urging everyone to participate in a Day of Service. Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour issued a proclamation marking September 11, 2011 as a voluntary Day of Service and Remembrance, and has issued a call to citizens and organizations in Mississippi to join in activities of tribute, solemn remembrance and charitable service.
According to 911day.msdayofservice.org, the 9/11 Day of Observance was conceived by David Paine and Jay Winuk—two friends—as a constructive way to pay tribute to innocent people who were lost and injured in the 2001 attacks. Their hard work paid off. In 2009, following a 7-year effort, President Obama joined with the U.S. Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that formally recognized 9/11 as the September 11th National Day of Service and Remembrance under federal law.
For more information, call the CSCEL at 601-979-1240 and go to 911day.msdaysofservice.org/join-the-tribute-911national-day-of-service-and-remembrance
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