As we remember September 11, there is much we should not forget

It almost feels like yesterday. I was a graduate student at Columbia University, having just returned to New York the day before a visit to Florida before beginning my PhD program. It was my second day of classes, and in an instant, before I left for statistics class, the city, America, and the world changed forever.

As we reflect on the 25 years since the September 11 attacks occurred, I find myself holding so many differing emotions. I think of the lives lost on that day in lower Manhattan and the DMV. I think of the FDNY members who lost scores of brothers in a single day. I think of those who survived that day — office workers, volunteers, and first responders — only to succumb to mysterious cancers later in life. I think of a generation of children who watched that horrifying scene on television and the confusion and fear it must have caused.

As I watched the two towers and the disaster that ensued, I could not help but think of my own childhood memories of seeing the Space Shuttle Challenger explode, and the fear and sadness that swept over our auditorium in seconds. Seeing adults shaken is incredibly unmooring for children to experience, and sadly, far too many children have experienced traumatic events in the wake of 9/11.

After the events of September 11, America went on a warpath. Some may argue this is just one pebble in a large pile of American behavior. Although America is a young nation, she has proven herself to be one of the most bellicose in human history. The subsequent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not yielded safety, a more unified future, or even answers about the root of the tragedy. Sadly, America has spawned a generation of children abroad who have experienced trauma and traumatic events paid for by American tax dollars.

Before the current regime took hold and before his recent image rehabilitation, painting dogs and hanging out with Michele Obama, former President George W. Bush was considered by many to be a war-mongering, profiteering village idiot. Obviously, the current occupants in the White House and administration make Bush’s incompetence look like small potatoes. Still, we cannot forget or ignore the wrath the Bush regime inflicted on the world.

As I reflect on this 25th anniversary, I will continue to pray for the families of loved ones lost that day, and in the months and years that followed, both at home and abroad. I will continue to support elected officials who want to think creatively about peace-filled solutions to the world’s problems — and I will continue to thank our first responders who make our lives safer each day.

Christina Greer, Ph.D., is a professor at Fordham University; author of the books “How to Build a Democracy: From Fannie Lou Hamer and Barbara Jordan to Stacey Abrams” and “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” and co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.