L.A. communities unite to honor 9/11 victims
By Peijean Tsai
Sept. 10, 2002 9:00 p.m.
One year after the fateful events of Sept. 11, 2001, leaders of
the UCLA and Los Angeles communities are asking people honor those
lost.
Early this morning, the bells on campus rang at 5:47 a.m., to
mark the moment the first jumbo jet struck the World Trade Center
last year.
Today Chancellor Albert Carnesale will hold an informal
gathering on the steps of Royce Hall to commemorate the one-year
anniversary of the tragedies in New York, Washington D.C. and
Pennsylvania last September. Carnesale will offer opening remarks,
followed by music from the UCLA Brass Quintet.
“It’s a time for reflection and of being
together,” Carnesale said.
Carnesale added while many universities showed an increase in
hate crimes over the past year, Sept. 11 had a unifying effect at
UCLA.
“The number of hate incidents has decreased (at UCLA) as
there has been increased tolerance and respect for all people and
all views,” he said.
Lucius Martin, a fourth-year American Indian studies and
anthropology student, plans to attend because he believes it is
important to challenge the false portrait the media has created of
a divided community after Sept. 11.
“A lot of the same concerns and struggles are prevalent in
all communities,” Martin said. “By coming together
today, we will show that there are folks trying to work together
for peace and unity.”
The photo exhibit “9.11.01: The Day That Changed the
World” will provide a way for the UCLA community to remember
the events of Sept. 11. The exhibit, compiled by photojournalists
in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, has been on a national
tour and will be on display in Kerckhoff Grand Salon from Sept.
15-20.
Carnesale urges people to take a step further toward
commemorating Sept. 11 by participating in city service events.
Employers should be sympathetic to those who have a desire to do
community service by accommodating their requests to take time off
from work, he said.
Events on Sept. 11 and during the week of Sept. 11-17 will give
Los Angelenos a chance to focus on service and help out the
community with their bare hands. The city of Los Angeles will be
hosting a procession pausing at nine locations spanning North
Hollywood to San Pedro. Eight will feature a different program to
honor the victims and heroes of Sept. 11.
“Each of these places has special meaning,” said
Julie Wong, communications director for Mayor Jim Hahn. “L.A.
wasn’t directly affected (by Sept. 11) but there are still
connections of people in L.A to those who were. Each of these
places highlights those connections.”
Each stop has a different focus. At North Hollywood Park,
citizens will revisit the 78 trees planted a year ago to represent
the Los Angeles citizens lost on Sept. 11.
A stop at the Sherman Oaks Fire Station 88 will honor the Los
Angeles Urban Search and Rescue Team who traveled to Ground Zero
last September.
The diverse religious community will be the focus at the
interfaith service at the new Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels,
Wong said.
The procession will then travel to Candelas Guitars where a
guitar crafted a year ago and sent around the country to gather
signatures of prominent celebrities will be on display.
Finally, Los Angeles will recognize members of the international
community who perished on Sept. 11 at the Korean Bell at Angel
Park.
At each site, over 10,000 carnations will be handed out by 200
volunteers gathered through L.A. Works, a community service entity
working with the city to organize the procession.
More community service opportunities after Sept. 11 will
continue during National Civic Participation Week, from Sept.
11-17.
Hosted by L.A. Works in conjunction with Participate America,
the week’s events will include regular projects like meal
preparation at local missions and a dance at the Burbank Center for
the Retarded.
“Sept. 11 woke a lot of people up to their role as
citizens,” said Larry Deckel, the director of communications
for L.A. Works.
Over the past year, L.A. Works has seen an immense growth in the
number of volunteers. Projects have multiplied from 30 to 50 a
month, and “they always fill up,” Deckel said.
While many may volunteer today and over the next week, Deckel
says that citizens should commit themselves to making a difference
every day.
For times of the city’s community service events log on to
www.laremembers.org.
