{"id":9718,"date":"2021-09-10T10:04:23","date_gmt":"2021-09-10T14:04:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9718"},"modified":"2021-09-10T11:54:05","modified_gmt":"2021-09-10T15:54:05","slug":"reflections-on-9-11-from-gmus-broadside-collection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9718","title":{"rendered":"Reflections on 9\/11 from GMU’s Broadside collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

The events of September 11, 2001 have been on my mind a lot lately.<\/p>\n

I should explain why that\u2019s unusual for me.\u00a0 You see, I was only 10 when the planes hit the World Trade Center, and though we lived in New York state at the time, the horror unfolding in the city seemed far away.\u00a0 I was shaken, yes, but the way many of us lucky enough to have escaped the worst outcomes of that day were shaken\u2014it was more the shock, the fear, the uncertainty, and the threat of war that resonated.\u00a0 Those are the emotions that I revisit every year when we mark the anniversary of that day.<\/p>\n

But in 2021, the year of the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of 9\/11, the reality of that day has shown up a lot of different ways in my life.\u00a0 Earlier this year, on a standard recommendation from a friend, I read The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of 9\/11 <\/em>(Simon & Schuster, 2020), <\/em>a compendium of first-person accounts.\u00a0 <\/em>A week ago, I sat down with my husband to watch Worth<\/em>, a new Netflix movie about the administration of the 9\/11 Victim Compensation Fund, which, though not a documentary, incorporated the very true stories of actual families still reeling from the losses they experienced that day.\u00a0 Strangely, a few days after that, at a restaurant in Delaware, my husband and I happened to end up chatting with an older couple\u2014one of whom wore a 9\/11 memorial pin\u2014only to find out that he wore it because he had been on the 105th<\/sup> floor of the South Tower when the North Tower was hit.\u00a0 A lot of fateful decisions saved his life.\u00a0 Of course, the end of the war in Afghanistan and resurgence of the Taliban have also brought up a lot of complicated remembrances about 9\/11 and the riptide of emotions that brought us into that war in the first place.<\/p>\n

So this week, when I came across the copy of GMU\u2019s student publication Broadside <\/em>for September 13, 2001, as part of a new project digitizing these papers, I felt it was yet another cosmic message that I needed to pause and reflect on what happened September 11, 2001 and give some space to reading about how the attacks impacted real people. \u00a0Using the articles from these old newspapers, I got another glimpse into that day.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Photographs of students reacting to the September 11th attacks. From the GMU Broadside newspaper.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

GMU\u2019s geography, I think, made the attack feel all the more threatening and all the more personal.\u00a0 Some students on the Arlington campus recalled feeling the ground shake with the impact of hijacked American Airlines Flight 77 slamming into the Pentagon.[1]<\/a>\u00a0 For those on Fairfax campus, the news spread quickly, and many were drawn to the News Center that existed in the Johnson Center at that time.\u00a0 Student reporters described the scene: \u201cRapidly gathering around the television sets on the first floor of Johnson Center, students and faculty alike watched in eerie silence as their morning disintegrated into a mass of fear, anger, numbness and shock.\u201d[2]<\/a>\u00a0 One College of Arts and Sciences student said \u201c40 years from now I will be able to remember every detail of this day as if it happened yesterday.\u201d[3]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"

GMU students watching the news unfolding. From the GMU Broadside newspaper.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

As with the rest of the nation, George Mason University campus seemed to stand still.\u00a0 Athletics games were cancelled.\u00a0 Vigils were organized.\u00a0 Tears were shed.\u00a0 Yet, once the initial shock turned into full emotional realization, the feelings became complicated.\u00a0 GMU\u2019s student government organized a program\u2014called GMU Unite\u2014the evening of September 11th<\/sup>, which was attended not just by students, but also by the Vice President of the University Life and then-University President Alan Merten.\u00a0 As described by Broadside reporters, no one seemed to know how to feel.\u00a0 \u201cAt times,\u201d they wrote, \u201cthe emotional debates circled around topics ranging from feelings of helplessness, to anger, to a desire for revenge and retribution.\u201d[4]<\/a><\/p>\n

That desire for retaliation is evidenced in the next several editions of the Broadside, as numerous opinion pieces advocated for the United States to flex its might against the perpetrators of 9\/11, while others preached that \u201can eye for an eye makes the whole world blind\u201d (a quote apocryphally authored by Gandhi).[5]<\/a>\u00a0 Many students felt war was the only appropriate response, but some students used to the newspaper to call for a more measured calculation.\u00a0 In this way, George Mason reflected the rest of the country, which was also sorting out how exactly to address the deep emotions brought on by the terrorist attacks.\u00a0 That confusion and uncertainty on how to act permeated the University as well.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s most interesting about the Broadside\u2019s coverage of 9\/11 and its aftermath was the space it gave to Muslim and Middle Eastern voices following the attacks.\u00a0 The editors seemed to understand immediately that some of that desire for retaliation would rain down on entirely innocent people who were lumped in with terrorists based upon their religion, country of origin, or appearance; they also seemed eager to push back against that impulse.\u00a0 One of the Broadside\u2019s staff writers at the time who was both Muslim and Palestinian took up several inches of print to describe how his own grief at the 9\/11 attacks was compounded by fear of rage misdirected toward them.\u00a0 \u201cI am Muslim and a Palestinian,\u201d he wrote.\u00a0 \u201cFor some reason, because this is my heritage and descent, I am automatically implicated as having participated in this horrific act\u2026..Many Muslims who were born and raised here feel the same pain, frustration and loss that other Americans feel.\u00a0 Just because we have a different kind of name or dress differently does not make us any less American than anyone else.\u201d[6]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Even weeks later, a Palestinian student wrote their experience on 9\/11: \u201cI didn\u2019t know what to do or what\u2019s going to happen next.\u00a0 Who\u2019s going to come up to me and say, \u2018you\u2019re a Palestinian who killed us.\u2019 Shall I worry about myself, my sister, or my parents back home? Where should I go? I am not safe here and I am not safe [in Palestine].\u00a0 I want to go home [but] I can\u2019t.\u201d[7]<\/a><\/p>\n

\"\"

A photograph of Muslim students at a vigil held to protest racial and religious harassment post-September 11th. From GMU Broadside newspaper.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The fears of these students were founded in unfortunate reality.\u00a0 The calls for unity and pleas from Muslim or Middle Eastern students for understanding did not stop a group of GMU students from chalking \u201cDeath to Islam\u201d and body outlines on the sidewalks in front of the Johnson Center.[8]<\/a> It didn\u2019t stop so many incidents of abuse that there had to be a separate candlelight vigil the week of September 27, this time for the victims of on-campus religious and racial harassment.[9]<\/a>\u00a0 The healing for some of these issues came in the form of empathy from others, such as GMU alumna Michelle Hankins.\u00a0 She wrote in to the Broadside with this reminder: \u201cMany Arabs have been where we Americans are today.\u00a0 They have had family hilled, their nations have waged wars against one another, they have walked down streets in fear.\u00a0 I have known Arabs in the United States franticly called family back in their home nations, wondering after a bombing or attack in their homeland if their family was okay.\u201d[10]<\/a>\u00a0 This is the type of understanding many targeted students pleaded for.<\/p>\n

Perusing the post-9\/11 editions of the Broadside, it\u2019s clear that the University was a microcosm of what was happening in the rest of the nation, both good and bad.\u00a0 On campus, there was shock, mourning, gathering, a drawing together.\u00a0 There was also division, hatred, and fear.\u00a0 There were moments of silence and moments of screaming.\u00a0 There was hopelessness and there was hope.<\/p>\n

On this anniversary of September 11th<\/sup>, we can remember all of that.\u00a0 It\u2019s okay if we are still making sense of what happened 20 years ago today.\u00a0 In honesty, we probably won\u2019t ever really understand.\u00a0 But reading these articles reminded me that we are all together in our confusion and anguish, even as we remember this event from two decades ago.\u00a0 And perhaps, all together, we can continue to find hope for a better world.<\/p>\n

\"\"

Flags flying at half-staff in memory of the victims of the September 11th attacks. From the GMU Broadside newspaper.<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

[1]<\/a> Broadside, <\/em>September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> Anh Phan and David Sullivan, Broadside<\/em>, September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Renu Ahuwalia, Broadside<\/em>, September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Anh Phan and David Sullivan, Broadside<\/em>, September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Broadside<\/em>, September 17, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 6.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Mousa Hamad, Broadside<\/em>, September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> May Sanda Soe, Broadside<\/em>, September 27, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 9.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Anh Phan, Broadside<\/em>, September 13, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 5.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> May Sanda Soe, Broadside<\/em>, September 27, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 9.<\/p>\n

[10]<\/a> Broadside<\/em>, September 17, 2001, Vol. 69, No. 6.<\/p>\n

Follow SCRC on Social Media on our\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, and\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0accounts. \u00a0To search the collections\u00a0held at Special Collections Research Center, go to our\u00a0website<\/a>\u00a0and browse the finding aids by subject or title. You may also e-mail\u00a0us at\u00a0speccoll@gmu.edu<\/a>\u00a0or call 703-993-2220 if you would like to\u00a0schedule an appointment, request materials, or if you have questions.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The events of September 11, 2001 have been on my mind a lot lately. I should explain why that\u2019s unusual for me.\u00a0 You see, I was only 10 when the planes hit the World Trade Center, and though we lived in New York state at the time, the horror unfolding in the city seemed far […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101020,"featured_media":9715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[529,243,3,5,121],"tags":[332,30],"class_list":["post-9718","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-george-mason-university-history","category-gmu-arlington-campus","category-news","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-broadside","tag-gmu-students"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/9-113.jpg?fit=593%2C393&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-2wK","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9413,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=9413","url_meta":{"origin":9718,"position":0},"title":"Winter Break Closure","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"December 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"SCRC will be closed from December 21, 2020 - January 4, 2021. We will be able to assist you virtually from January 4 - January 25 and are able to accept in-person researcher appointments (GMU affiliated only) beginning on January 25, 2021. We wish you a happy and safe winter\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/broadside-snow.png?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/broadside-snow.png?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/broadside-snow.png?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/broadside-snow.png?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/broadside-snow.png?fit=1200%2C722&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10312,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=10312","url_meta":{"origin":9718,"position":1},"title":"The Mason Experience: Past and Present","author":"Bob Vay","date":"May 16, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was compiled by the Mason Experience: Past and Present team, Charlotte Corneliusen and Bob Vay. As part of the University Libraries' celebration of George Mason University's 50-Year Anniversary last year, SCRC launched a digital project intended to help users understand a little more about their university by learning\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Collections"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Collections","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=557"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/R0152B01P11_037_new_sm.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/R0152B01P11_037_new_sm.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/R0152B01P11_037_new_sm.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/R0152B01P11_037_new_sm.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/R0152B01P11_037_new_sm.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6640,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6640","url_meta":{"origin":9718,"position":2},"title":"Wading into Broadside’s Snapshots of the Smoky ’70s","author":"admin","date":"June 20, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Greg Campbell, a former newspaper journalist\u00a0and GAO analysts. He is nearing completion of a master's degree in history with a focus on military history and the western United States\u00a0at George Mason University. He is rounding out his skills as a historian through work at the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "GMU Fairfax Campus"","block_context":{"text":"GMU Fairfax Campus","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=272"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/R0135B29P019_06.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/R0135B29P019_06.png?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/R0135B29P019_06.png?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/R0135B29P019_06.png?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4947,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=4947","url_meta":{"origin":9718,"position":3},"title":"Digitized negatives from the Broadside photograph collection now available!","author":"admin","date":"April 2, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Archives Assistant Ignacio\u00a0Bracamonte reflects on the Broadside scanning project and picks an image to share from the recently digitized, and now available online, box 7. 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