A Meaningful Visit to the 9/11 Memorial

Whether a visiter walks into the 9/11 museum and memorial bright-eyed and ready for an experience or restless and grumpy from a 5 hour bus ride, one thing holds true: they will both be touched in an unforgettable way. Although we as a Junior class most-likely all fit into the second, caffeine-craving cohort of visitor type, we all can truly say that the stories we heard and people we met at the museum and memorial have made a deep impact on how we view not only the tragedy that was 9/11, but the process of recovery and understanding the long-lasting effects of such a detrimental event. 

Before entering the museum or witnessing the memorial, I had some questions and predictions that I wanted to know: 

I would like to know how all of the memorials, while addressing the tragedies of the event, will represent the aftershocks of the threat to American life (Islamaphobia, increased security, unity or disunity etc.).

The 9/11 memorial portrayed not only the literal impacts of the attack, but also represented the aftershocks. Certain displays within the museum such as the “psychological damage” exhibit show how Americans could address the impending psychological damage of the attack. This one display was part of a larger exhibit in which questions, which one could assume were on the minds of all observers, such as “who is responsible and how should they pay?” and “What do we do to remember those who have fallen?” and “What does this mean for the American lifestyle?” appeared in a collage on a wall of the museum. All of these questions were those which could represent aspects of life and damage AFTER the attack and therefore represent the after the event. 

The re-occuring narrative which was life after the attack, though, was present not only in this section of the museum. The act of looking forward into the future while remembering those who had passed away, was imbedded into every aspect of the memorial. Below is a picture of a quote which addresses this narrative. It is the first thing you see as you enter onto the memorial floor.

I believe this quote is interesting because it speaks to two of the most commonly seen narratives in the museum: the narrative of those who will remember the dead and the narrative of those who have died. The quote speaks of memory and the inability of an event or day to erase you from the time you have lived. Because of this, the victims are eternalized: forever remembered in the future, having lived their meaningful lives in the past.

 While unity of the country was definitely an outcome of the tragedy, will the sites portray this through patriotism or the representation of individual life regardless of country/ religion?

The memorial and museum did a great job with reflecting the individuals who were affected by the attack. With this, no exhibit looked to isolate religion or country of origin as a factor in how they were remembered. An interesting thing I noticed while in the memorial for the victims was that I felt connected to others around me. We both stood in the same place, with the same respect, looking at the same people whose lives had been stripped away from them. There was a mutual understanding and appreciation for life which reached much deeper than a political affiliation. This, I think, is a microcosm of the entirety of the United States after 9/11. After the attack, every US citizen was on the same page, being a page of remorse and confusion, but everyone still felt a mutual respect. They felt unified because of it. 

While I think it is important to look at all dimensions of the attack, including the more gruesome, will the museum prioritize the tragic side of the event or the unification of the event to its guests? (Intended narrative = fear or hope?)

I think the memorials and museums did a good job of playing off of the narrative of both fear and hope. Upon walking into the museum, you are brought through a long dark tunnel. Here, the voices of victims and family members are played around you as the words of victims slide along oddly placed screens meant to disrupt the path of a visitor. It is a scary experience, but it is also the first. I think this is done to show the viewer the amount of pain and confusion which surrounded everyone who was part of the 9/11 attack. It instantly allows you to be inside the head of a victim unable to think clearly because of the psychological damage that has been done or questioning the value of their lives after the loss of loved ones.  I don’t think the museum looks to take the gruesome side of the attack in every display though. Many displays represented the love the victims had for their families or the happy lives they lived before the event took place.

Picture of Quote: https://www.economist.com/democracy-in-america/2014/05/16/a-fitting-tribute

 

My Time at Wadsworth Museum, Adam Guillemette

Wadsworth Museum, and its contents, is an important piece of history nestled in the city of Hartford. While I have been a student at Loomis for a year and a half now, I had never heard of it and was completely unaware of its importance in exposing firsthand accounts and expressions of what we have been learning in class. Nevertheless, the museum and the Amistad Center opened my eyes to a tangible dimension of learning about the history of African American culture. It also allowed me to reflect on the hundreds of years of struggle the African American population faced in order to achieve, and in some cases-not yet achieve, equality in American society.

In the first portion of the gallery, abstract art was displayed. While these famous pieces of art which depicted amazing flowing colours, demented shapes, and subtle figures conveyed a lot of meaning for me after close inspection, I had never spent too much time connecting with the underlying meaning of the painting rather than the painting itself. It took much prompting by Mr. Zavisza and my classmates for me to be able to truly excavate a narrative out of something as complex as these paintings.

Instead, I preferred the second room of the gallery. An exhibit focused on photography, which to me was more digestible as it presented important figures in a relatable manner. Instead of asking myself, “what was the artist thinking when depicting these people?” I thought, “what are the people depicted thinking?” The pictures ranged widely by style; some were candid, others portrait, and even landscape. But, they all captured African American development in American society, which speaks to the intended narrative of the pieces: while many avenues were taken in which African Americans fought for equality and a place in American Society, in every one there was hardship and life’s worth of effort focused on succeeding in that singular avenue. For instance, I understand that many civil rights activists took to the political world to express their dissatisfaction with their rights. Others took to the stage and played poetic gospel and passionate jazz music. And still others became well known athletes that broke stereotypes and became the role model for African Americans everywhere. Regardless, though, of the route they each took, they all spent their life’s effort to succeed and move the needle forward for African Americans as a whole. This exhibition perfectly portrayed this idea as it’s eclectic pieces provoked a deep respect in me for the struggle of African Americans in US history.

On this note, the piece I chose to highlight was picture of Paul Robeson while he played football at Rutgers University. A successful singer, actor, athlete, and political activist.  A man that attempted every path of life and succeeded in them all, not just for himself but for the civil rights movement as a whole.

The Salem Chapel

Over the summer, I visited the Salem Chapel in St. Catharines, ON. The Salem Chapel is a British Methodist Episcopal church that acted as the final destination in many underground railroad rescue missions in the 1800s and was a home to many abolitionists such as Harriet Tubman. The chapel was erected in the 1853 to support the influx of African Americans into southern Ontario who sought shelter from the “Act Against Slavery” which was an anti-slavery law passed in 1793 in the legislative session of upper Canada (Ontario). In the same year, the United States Congress passed the “Fugitive Slave Act of 1793” which guaranteed the right of slave holders to recover escaped slaves. Salem Chapel is thought to be the first African American church in all of Ontario. The chapel has a memorial and garden behind it commemorating Harriet Tubman and all of the abolitionists that risks their lives for the safety of others.

The Salem Chapel portrayed the historical memory of the abolitionists in the mid 1800s. The chapel was surrounded by plaques that told stories about the lives and hardships of the abolitionists who lived in St. Catharines and the people who built the church. I think the historical site takes a neutral stance upon observing the past as to educate the public on the events that took place regarding slavery; however, it is supportive towards those who it commemorates such as Harriet Tubman and therefore influences the memory of the abolitionists. The part of time which those who are remembered by the chapel lived in, was a time where american identity was something that was unclear or subjective. There was a definite divide between different racial, economic, cultural, and gender groups, but I think that lack of identity is something that the Salem Chapel tries to emphasize in celebrating the achievements of the abolitionists. By remembering those who questioned and opposed the identity of most americans in the 1800s, The Salem Chapel recognizes and abhors the ideologies (racism, sexism etc.) which caused the divide in american identity at that time. I think values such as equality, unity, and freedom were very present at The Salem Chapel. Because there is so much emphasis on the courage and bravery of the abolitionists who travelled there, one who visits the site will definitely have very much respect for those who are remembered.

Two questions I had are:

Why isn’t the Salem Chapel very popular?

Who put up the monument and in what way were they trying to tie the past of Harriet Tubman to Canadian history?

Source:

http://www.salemchapelbmechurch.ca/index.html