As a native New Yorker I will NEVER FORGET 9/11/2011. I can remember literally minute by minute of how that morning occurred, where was I going, who I was, how I got through that day, the amazing sound of loved ones voices on the phone FINALLY that night…..Everything is literally burned into my brain forevermore!
Each year as the anniversary of 9/11 comes around I remember….I remember how I lived, how many died, why they died, how I watched the first tower come down from my campus across the water, the never-ending smoke blowing in the air, the news reports, the pictures of people covered in the ash of other people. My city had been attacked and I was terrified! They did exactly what they wanted to do - instill terror!
But somewhere, somehow overnight New York became different - the world became different! We would never forget! We were united - a TRUE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA! Some may believe this wasn’t the case and terror still reigned and maybe it did for many. Those days following this massacre were ones of unity and hope. Our United States came together to say that we wouldn’t stand for hate or terror in our world and the red, white, and blue that so bravely stand for all that we lost became a living symbol of optimism, for we would never let something like this happen again on American soil.
When I moved to Louisiana, 9/11 was remembered but it wasn’t the same as it was in New York. Experiencing my first Mardi Gras in Louisiana reminded me so fondly of the days following 9/11. The days where the community comes together to celebrate and hope with a strong belief for a better tomorrow. Strangers became best friends and danced in the streets. Children tossed footballs or frisbees to one another in the street before parades began. Beads were tossed to all. Flowers and kisses were doled out without fear or harm - the good times rolled!
The way that experience touched me the first time I encountered it reminded me of the days after 9/11. We celebrated what we loved as a community. Moving forward my hope is that we can get back to that world where you were automatically surrounded by thousands of your new best friends in the streets of New Orleans. As a sorority woman who works with chapters that struggle in the area of recruitment, it it my sincere hope that we can act in the same way where we celebrate our community instead of being in constant competition with one another. What reason do we have to be turned against one another during one week of recruitment when the rest of the year we can work together to accomplish so much! My wish is for sorority communities to live life like we did on 9/12/2001 and how we do during Mardi Gras season.
We shouldn’t see socioeconomic status, political division/choice. We need to love one another and see into the hearts of those we come into contact with for everyone has something to give to our organizations. We are better together, united as one, rather than divided! Better to love rather than to hate. Remember we the idea of sorority was to bring women together for a common purpose, not to divide us by different values and voices. We have so much to learn from one another - take that chance during this recruitment season!!!
