None will forget the wave of terror that spanned our country in a matter of hours when the twin towers fell. With the crumble of infrastructure, so went America’s innocence. 9/11: a tragedy that left a confused and fearful country in its wake.
We now live in a post 9/11 world. For the majority of high schoolers, this is all they have known. Most were either not alive during the tragedy or were too young to remember anything. This era has come to be one of heightened security and fear.
Before there were few regulations or safety measures within airport security proceedings. Now there are numerous that have come to be “necessary evils [that result in] a lot of racial profiling,” senior Ivy Richardson said.
Our generation will be the first generation that views 9/11 as a historical event rather than moments within our own personal lives. As the years and anniversaries pass, 9/11 becomes more archival than before; a day dissected by piecing together segments of personal accounts.
Our generation will also be the first generation, followed by many more, to learn about this day in school. History teachers must now incorporate 9/11 into their curriculums. Education of this event is key but difficult when covering such difficult subject matter.
“Our teachers were alive during 9/11, and it’s hard to teach about something during your lifetime from an unbiased viewpoint,” Richardson said.
While many have their own forms of commemoration for this day, it is evident that with each passing year the concept of 9/11 does not become less alarming. Although we are a generation of students who have few memories of 9/11, we will certainly be a generation that never forgets.
