911 perspectives...

The anniversary of 911:It's almost been ten years, hard to believe. I guess everybody remembers what they were doing, and where they were when they heard about 911.I was in Illinois waiting for the electrician to show up. I always start my morning with some coffee and the news, but that morning I turned on a music channel, and watched a video of Bob Marley singing "One Love". I thought to myself: "Why watch the news?" "It's always bad news!" It was the electrician who told me about the planes hitting the building. I of course turned on the news not believing him, and there it was.I was supposed to take the train to work, but instead like most people, I stayed glued in front of the TV. I called my boss to see if the store was open, and she said to come in. The train that I took was the Metro-Link. In ran from Scott's Air Force base in Southern Illinois, to Lambert International Airport in St Louis. There were fears among the people getting on the train, that if it was a national attack, the train or St Louis, with its Arch could be targeted. Everyone seemed to be eyeing each other suspiciously. At the Savvis Center, a group of men boarded the train with turbans on their heads, and the train emptied.A few years later, I saw campaign posters everywhere in Black neighborhoods introducing an up and coming politician in Illinois. His name was Barack Obama. I stared at the poster in disbelief, and especially stared at the name. I then proceeded to laugh my ass off. "No way!!!" I said to my friend. "How crazy is this guy to run for office with a name like Barack Obama?". "No one will ever vote for a guy with that name". More important than just remembering 911, I believe is seeing how far we've comes since that moment on September 11 2001. To realize the fear and hatred that permeated the city during those dark times, when everyone was treating everyone else with suspicion, and the government encourage and fed these fears. 911, was a catalyst for many changes, and we must remember that.R.I.P. victims of 911