By Alison Royer
I’m a black-out drinker so there’s a lot in life I don’t
remember. But I can tell you exactly
where I was on September 11, 2001. I had
just awoken in my high-rise, Chicago apartment to a phone call from my then
boyfriend. His first words to me were,
“Do you have any idea what’s happening in your country right now?” I did not.
I didn’t have a working television, at the time, and while
his news sounded alarming, I couldn’t quite grasp it. On the subway to work that morning,
everything was quiet and still. When I
arrived to the office, everyone was huddled around the T.V., some people were
crying and again silence permeated the room.
I have never fought in the armed services and I can’t
pretend that I had any awareness of the world-at-large prior to that day. But on 9/11, my life changed and so did my
perception. I am now greatly aware that
I live a privileged life, granted to me merely by way of being born on this
continent. I am aware that I am free to
do whatever I’d like in this country. I
have freedom of sex, religion and education.
I am free to have strong opinions about what my country does and if I’d
like to make changes, I am free to take actions to that affect – no matter how
large or small. Today, I’d like to acknowledge
the men and women who fight for my freedom and the other citizens here and
elsewhere who fight for theirs.
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