Public Commenmoration of 9/11 Absent This Year

Wednesday, September 11, 2024, marked the 23rd anniversary of 9/1l. Given the significance of this event in the United States, many students noted the absence of recognition, such as a moment of silence or an acknowledgment of this event at school meeting. For many students, 9/11 was regularly recognized in previous years at Deerfield; the lack of recognition was a shock. To further understand the complexity behind recognizing these serious events at school wide gatherings, Associate Head of School for Student Life Amie Creagh shared an insight to the thought process behind the decisions.

Ms. Creagh immediately noted the unique situation where 9/11 fell on the same day as school meeting. When she looked back at her records, 9/11 had not fallen on the same day as school meeting for the past few years. For many years, it was usually commemorated at a sitdown meal on the exact date of 9/11. Since it fell on the unprecedented day of school meeting, Ms. Creagh stated that the Student Life Office “considered the following questions: what is the right venue? How will different members connect with the event? When has it been too long since the event? What are we asking of the community in commemorating this event in a certain way? How do you adapt to the larger time gap between the event and the present?” she said.

Ms. Creagh brought up that as the amount of time between 9/11 and the present grows, the ways that we commemorate in regard to the time gap shifts. She mentioned the events such as the attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor in 1941 and D-Day in 1944 and how their commemoration and way of remembrance has changed over the years as well.

Ms. Creagh also noted that commemorating days such as 9/11 at a school-wide event requires many people of different backgrounds and experiences associated with this event, to observe and recognize it in the same way creating complexity for Deerfield as a school of 17% international students.

Using all of this information about the difference in experience between students and faculty, as criteria for making the decision, it felt appropriate to post on Instagram and acknowledge the occasion on the school’s website.

The commemoration is less of a conversation about commemoration at all, but more about the context of the observance and those present. Ms. Creagh also remarked that 9/11 is a sensitive and serious topic that they put lots of thought into how to honor it. Later that day, the Deerfield instagram account posted a video of the American flag outside of the Hess with the caption #neverforget, which was the only formal acknowledgement this year.