9/11
campus memorial brings Katrina victims
relief
By
Andrea Sirhall
Daily Forty-Niner
Contributing Writer
In the early morning quiet of the campus on Friday, the Long Beach College
Republicans (LBCR) planted 3,000 tiny American flags into the grass along the
Friendship Walk in honor of the victims of 9/11.
The group began planting flags at 5 a.m. Long Beach College Republicans Chairwoman
Erica Walters hammered the last flag into the ground two hours later. Groundskeepers
stopped to watch, and as if on cue, even the morning breeze stopped blowing
for a moment.
For the LBCR it was important the campus take a moment to remember how many
lives were lost four years ago, and the sight of 3,000 flags waving in the
wind was a sobering reminder.
“It’s one thing to hear a number, but it’s another thing to
see it and actually put it in the ground,” said LBCR Vice Chairwoman Cara
Eshleman.
Club member Tarah Novelli agreed, “Putting each flag in the ground made
each life seem more significant.”
Placed by hand, the rows of flags were crooked in places, giving an air of
chaos to the memorial that seemed fitting; the events that caused the deaths,
and the deaths themselves, were not rank-and-file occurrences.
The memorial, which stayed up until Sunday, was originally supposed to be a
memorial and fundraising opportunity for the LBCR, however, after Hurricane
Katrina ravaged the Gulf Coast and left New Orleans under water, the club decided
to donate half the money raised to the Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund.
The club spent the week leading up to Friday asking students to sponsor a flag
for $1, and took donations and sponsors through 4 p.m. Friday. The front few
rows of flags were tagged with the names of students and faculty who had given
donations.
Eshleman originally got the idea for the memorial from the Young America’s
Foundation, centered in Washington, D.C. She had wanted to set it up last year,
however, but she lacked funding and encountered several logistical snags.
This year, getting approval to erect the memorial was a touchy situation, with
administrators’ concerned that it would be too controversial. Eshleman
and Walters were also acutely aware of this concern and wanted to honor the
victims of 9/11 in a way that went beyond politics and party lines.
“This is obviously nonpartisan,” Eshleman said. “It’s
just a memorial, something everyone can appreciate.”
Students passing the memorial on their way to class seemed to agree, and many
were willing to donate to help the people left displaced, sick and injured
in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
Freshman Tia Holiday said the memorial and fundraising efforts were “a
really good idea. Everyone around the nation is putting their 2 cents in to
help people who are less fortunate.”
The tops of the flags could be seen from far off and definitely drew attention,
with some students staring overtly and others staring straight ahead as they
passed.
Looking at the flags, David Akins, a lecturer in the mathematics department
said, “There are people in Washington talking about having celebrations
on 9/11. That really bothers me.”
Walters voiced a similar sentiment, saying that Sept. 11 shouldn’t be “just
another holiday where you take the day off without remembering what happened.”
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