A post for September 11th

I vividly remember where I was when two airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.  It was the fall semester of my senior year at Alcorn State University.  Just like most mornings, I had gotten up and walked to the bathrooms to wash up for class.  As I was brushing my teeth, I can remember a buddy of mine asking if I had seen what happened in New York.  Thinking that he was referring to abnornmal weather or a sports event, I responded, "nah...I'll check it out in a few.  I'm trying to get to class now."

After showering and picking out something to wear for the day, I turned on the TV.  As I dressed myself, I saw the replay of the 1st plane crashing into the tower.  This had to be a movie.  No one flies a jumbo jet into a building, neither on purpose nor by accident.  But it was real.  It was no big budget movie.  Lives were lost and the United States would be changed forever. 

In addition to the mass panic, that occured across the nation, there was also a fear that gas prices would double in a matter of hours.  I can remember the long lines to the lone gas station on our campus. 

I don't think I made it to a single class that day.

It's 10 years later and we remember where we were and what we were doing on that day.  As this day becomes a chapter for study in new history books, we must also remember those responsible. 

Here is an article from Teaching Tolerance in which a father explains to his son who "they" are.  After believing that "they" are Muslims or Pakistani, the father tells him that "they" are terrorists. 

The father offers this advice: "I understand that teaching a tragic event such as 9/11 can be emotional and difficult, but it is necessary to ensure that children understand events accurately so they do not develop prejudiced ideas about an entire group of people."

The biggest honor we can give those that died on this day is to properly inform our children of who did this.