On the 12th anniversary of the September 11th attacks, memorial events are taking place across the country including a reflection walk on the campus of Florida Gulf Coast University.
Students and a few staff members at Florida Gulf Coast University walked silently in two single file lines symbolizing the two World Trade Center Towers that were destroyed in the 9/11 attacks.
“The official/unofficial figure is that 2,750 people perished at the World Trade Center on 9/11 in 2001,” said remembrance walk organizer and FGCU Dance instructor Lynn Neuman. “The calculation is that if we’re taking a step a second over approximately 35 minutes, we’re taking one step for each person who perished that day. The time that we’re walking is the time between when the plane hit the second tower and when it fell.”
Most participants walked in bare feet symbolizing the New York City commuters who took off their shoes for the long walk home after public transportation was shut down on the day of the attacks. “It’s a way of giving yourself a physical experience that other people had as a way to maybe take a step closer to what that experience was,” said Neuman.
Following the walk, Neuman led a group of participants in an informal talk session to share thoughts, memories and reflections relating to the 9/11 attacks. Plans are already underway to expand the memorial event on campus in future years.