Honoring Lives Lost, Reflecting on the Choices We Make

by Mikaela VanMoorleghem, MPA

Today was a moment that shook the world. I am sure all of you can remember exactly where you were when you first learned what was happening on 9/11. I was standing in my very first apartment on my own, getting ready for work and watching the Today show while curling my hair. I remember when the first plane hit, I was just as confused as the news anchors. Was it an accident? What just happened? And then, when the second plane hit, I remember thinking: this is it. This is the beginning of something really, really awful. I was scared to drive to work but didn’t know what else to do. And being young, I didn’t want to get into trouble with “the boss.” I searched the radio for any news, desperate for answers. Back then, there were no 24-hour news channels in your pocket.

Even amid fear and uncertainty, we were all challenged to respond not with fear alone, but with unity, justice, and a reaffirmation of human dignity.

Today, on this anniversary, I wonder: have we truly learned the lessons of 9/11? Wars continue to displace millions. Families are torn apart by deportations. Civil and human rights are being rolled back. Too often, our responses are rooted in fear, blame, or political expedience rather than empathy, justice, and the protection of human beings.

9/11 reminds me that the consequences of violence ripple outward, touching innocents far from the initial act. Likewise, our choices today, how we treat immigrants, how we protect human rights, how we engage in conflict, have profound effects on real people, families, and communities. This anniversary is not only a time to remember those we lost, but also a call to reflect: are we building a world that learns from tragedy, or are we repeating the same mistakes, allowing injustice and suffering to persist?