Mt. San Jacinto College (MSJC) honored the memory and impact of September 11, 2001, with a poignant 9/11 Commemoration Ceremony at the San Jacinto Campus Art Gallery.
The event featured a 9/11 Free Art Exhibition showcasing news articles, personal stories, and artifacts related to the tragic events of September 11, 2001. The exhibition is open to the public until September 12.
The ceremony included a keynote address by 9/11 survivor Steve Silva, who recounted his harrowing escape from one of the Twin Towers. Silva, who was in Tower 2 as part of a three-week training program with Morgan Stanley, shared his personal experience and highlighted the resilience and courage displayed during the attacks.
“A Port Authority representative told us not to look up,” Silva said. “Of course, I immediately looked up in horror and snapped a picture of the burning towers.” Silva’s photographs from that day are now displayed at the Museum of
Tolerance in Los Angeles.
Attendees had the opportunity to explore the impact of the attacks, learn about the lives lost, and locate names on the bronze panels at the 9/11 memorial pools in New York City. The ceremony also included solemn bell-ringing and moments of silence to mark significant times during the attacks, including the hits on the North and South Towers, the Pentagon, the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the collapse of both towers.
“9/11 Terrorism changed the way we live today,” Dr. Bertha Barraza, MSJC professor in the Arts & Humanities Pathway and founder and chair of the 9/11 Commemoration Committee, said.
“We must teach people the power of hate but also the amazing things love can do. We must show compassion and love for those among us in order for us to truly be able to honor those who died in the name of hate. We will never forget!”
