From Yahoo News:
Sept. 11, 2011, marks the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center attack. The tragedy is being commemorated at events across Atlanta, and even outside it in the Freedom Ride from Atlanta to New York City.
* The 9/11 Interfaith Gathering seeks to build "relationships between faith communities and across lines that have divided us in the past." It was planned by a group that included Christians, Jews, and Muslims, as well as Buddhists and Hindus. The free event will start at 5 p.m. in the Decatur Hotel and Conference Center's ballroom. Parking is free at the Decatur First Baptist Church next door; parking at the hotel is available for a fee.
* The 9/11 Victory Run is a 5k run / walk around Chastain Park "in celebration of Ryan Means' dedication to our country." Means was an Iraq War soldier who died of cancer. Registration starts at 12 at the Ryan P. Means American Legion Hall, and costs $30; online pre-registration is $25 for adults and $15 for those 18 and under. The race itself starts at 2 p.m. Runners are encouraged to park alongside Chastain Park, and not in the nearby residential neighborhoods.
* The DeKalb 9/11 Memorial, a project to build a permanent memorial in the Atlanta area, will be holding a Remembrance Ceremony "that will include a ceremonial procession and memorial dedication" starting at 8 a.m. The event is free to attend, and will be held at the DeKalb County Public Safety Complex. Visitors are asked to park in the designated areas, and "leave the roadway open for the ceremonial procession."
The 9/11 Memorial in New York City will officially open on Sept. 11 with a ceremony for victims' families at Ground Zero. The Memorial will then open to the public on the next day for visitors who reserved passes in advance. On Sept. 10, Community Board 1 will hold Hands Across Lower Manhattan, an event on the West Side Waterfront.
Click here to read the touching story about Richard "Rick" Rescorla, a 62-year-old retired and decorated U.S. Army colonel, who had focused on security at the World Trade Center for years and led over 2,500 people to safety despite having received official instructions to stay put after the 8:46 a.m. crash next door. An opera on his story recently opened in San Francisco. A Vietnam War Hero, Rescorla also was featured on the cover of the book, "'We Were Soldiers Once … and Young,"' and Fort Benning, Georgia, displays a statue of him.
And for teachers, "Education Week" featured a recent post entitled, "Teachers Step Gently Into Lessons About 9/11" offering suggestions for lessons on the topic of the 9/11 tragedy. You need an account to read the post, but accounts are free. High school social studies teachers are finding that most of their current freshmen—kindergartners in 2001—never experienced the horror of watching the twin towers collapse. The video at the top of this post is a collection of news reports along a timeline of that terrible day. It's not long, but it certainly helps explain that tragic event. In addition, you can purchase a copy of the book, "The Legacy Letters", edited by Dunwoody resident, Brian Mand. All proceeds go to the non-profit group, Tuesday's Children.
Yahoo will be sponsoring a "Digital Moment of Silence" on September 11 at 8:46 am as we, and certainly the entire country will be silent and reflect.
