This Sunday, Saint Mary's College faculty will pay special tribute to the anniversary of Sept. 11 with a ceremonial event entitled "We Remember."
The event was created by Saint Mary's faculty, and provides a way for students to remember and reflect on past history through music, dance and poetry.
"If we don't remember our history, it will cease to be our history," music professor Laurel Thomas said. "This event allows us to remember, but also offers a way to interpret the event through an artistic media that has the power to heal."
The recital was planned years in advance, but when faculty realized the event would fall on Sept. 11, they decided to alter the content of the recital to honor the event.
"When we realized that this year's [recital] would fall on the 10th anniversary of September 11, we were left with two options: cancel or somehow commemorate the anniversary," Thomas said. "We hope the art will speak for itself."
Students said they are happy the College is hosting a recital to commemorate the event.
"It is a hard thing to talk about," sophomore Jackie Rivera said, "But so much emotion can be captured through art. It gives you a different way to look at things. I think this is a great way to remember what happened ten years ago and still hold on to that."
First year McKenna Schuster reflected on the nation's ability to come together following the tragedy.
"As hard as that day was, I think it helped bring out the best in people, too," Schuster said. "You started to see flags again and hear all the heroic stories, and this program seems to capture that as well as the gravity of the day."
Thomas said she hopes students will gain emotional understanding through the event.
"Art helps us come to new emotional understanding," Thomas said. "We [want] this event [to be] one of hope, while being sensitive to all that 9/11 stands for."
Performers at the event include Eva Hooker, Dr. Jeffrey Jacob, Dr. Daniel Party and Indi Dieckgrafe, who will be performing an original dance for the event.
Students are encouraged to attend at 4 p.m. Sunday in the Little Theatre. The performance is free and open to the public.
