Observing the 23rd Anniversary of the September 11th Attacks

Dear Members of the NJCU Family, 

On this day, 23 years ago — September 11, 2001 — the strength and unity of our nation was put on trial in front of the world as we endured the worst attack our nation has ever sustained. Even as time passes, for those of us who lived through the events that forever changed the course of history, this is more than an anniversary of an unimaginably dark day.

Rather, this solemn day of remembrance will forever be one of reflection and acknowledgement, and an opportunity for us to offer recognition of the sacrifices of our first responders and ordinary individuals who did extraordinary things. It is a time to remember those we lost and acknowledge the resilience of the American people.  We can never allow September 11th to just become another day in our history. 

I thank all the faculty, staff, and students who joined us on campus today as we came together as a community for our remembrance ceremony. This is an important annual ritual for us to honor the 2,977 Americans who tragically and senselessly lost their lives — many mere minutes from our own campus — including three NJCU faculty members: Kevin Donnelly, Thomas Gardner, and Kalyan Sarkar.

As a society, we sometimes falter and stumble. But in the wake of tragedy, hope springs eternal. And hope showed up the morning after terror struck our nation. Just as hope always shows up each morning and in every pocket of our community, and certainly on this campus. 

Let us also honor the spirit of resilience and unity that emerged from the aftermath of September 11. Strength, love, and compassion will always win over hatred, violence and bigotry, and discord and division. Let this be the legacy of that tragic day that even in moments of reflection, we see each other. Tragedy has a tendency to do that in ways that moments of joy may not. Let's reflect on that as a community and actually see one another. Let's be of service for one another. Let's be champions of one another, and let that history be something that fortifies our future. 

Yours in service, solidarity and love. 

Andrés Acebo
Interim President
New Jersey City University