The University of Mississippi Young Americans for Freedom (YAF) chapter placed 2,977 flags in the quad between the J.D. Williams Library and the Phi Mu Fountain to promote the Never Forget Project on Friday, Sept. 11 at 9 a.m.
YAF placed each flag to honor a life that was lost on Sept. 11, 2001 in New York City, Arlington, Va., and Somerset County, Pa. This year marked the 25th anniversary of the tragedy.
President of the Ole Miss chapter of YAF Paolo Messina, a junior political science major from Cromwell, Conn., explained what the Never Forget Project means to him.
“(The Never Forget Project) means two things to me,” Messina said. “The first thing (is) that we never forget the people that we lost, the names and what they did that day. It also means to me that we remember what we gained that day, and that was a country that put political differences aside, was able to come together, move forward and remember the unity that we had that day.”
This generation can promote remembrance for those who lost their lives during 9/11 through online platforms and on college campuses.
“We hold the responsibility because as the youngest generation, we can do the most,” Messina said. “We can be online, but we can also be on the college campuses doing the work and reminding people that everyday heroes went into the south tower and the north tower to try to protect fellow New Yorkers. It is our responsibility to make sure that those names are remembered, and that is why we are here today.”
Messina believes that it is important for students, teachers and the Oxford community to remember the lives lost, even for those born after 9/11.
“I was born after 2001, but growing up, it was always something you heard about in school,” Messina said.
Darlyn Bustillo, a junior political science major from Ridgeland, Miss., attended the event and appreciated the effort that went into preparing the memorial.
“This was a great way of honoring those who sacrificed their lives and stood for our country when it was under attack,” Bustillo said.
Dylan Liggett, secretary and outreach director and a junior English major from Newton, Ga., emphasized the innocence of the victims.
“It wasn’t like it was an attack on a military base or anything. A lot of innocent people died,” Liggett said. “It defined an entire generation of American history.”
The Never Forget Project ensures that the victims are not abandoned and are loved by many.
“People shouldn’t be forgotten,” Liggett said. “At the end of the day we are all Americans. And at the end of the day, we all love our country, no matter what we believe (in) and what we think. At the end of the day, we all defend each other and we all stick up for each other. We are in Mississippi, and all of this happened in New York. It is just a way for all Americans to show that we all love each other.”
