Nonviolence Center to Hold Commemoration of 9/11: A Silent Vigil

A silent vigil commemorating the events and aftermath of 9/11 will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 11, at Corner Park, the corner of Claremont Avenue and Main Street in Ashland. The vigil is free and open to the public; there will be no speeches and no presentations.

John Stratton, executive director of the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, sees the vigil as a time of reflection. “The vigil is a time to recognize the pain and the suffering that have been experienced, a time to remember the heroism shown, and an opportunity to quietly reflect on the ways these events have transformed us individually and as a nation.”

Shanna Srock, a junior at Ashland University, recalls the sense of misunderstanding she felt during the attacks as a fifth grader in rural Ohio.

“I did not grasp the extent of 9/11 and its significance to our nation and the world. I remember teachers at my school attempting to shield us from news stations broadcasting the event,” she said. “Most of us thought we knew what the attacks meant. They meant something bad. We had no sense of the large-scale impact it would have on our country.”

The vigil, according to Stratton, is a natural complement to the showing of “9/11 Remembered,” a documentary film produced by the Journalism and Digital Media Department at Ashland University. The film premieres at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 8, in Hugo Young Theatre. The showing is free and open to the public.

The silent vigil is the first of three events sponsored by the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, which will focus on creating a nonviolent world. Barbara Oehlberg, a nationally known trainer and speaker and author of “Making it Better: Activities for Children Living in a Stressful World,” will present “Understanding and reacting to fear and trauma” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium. Bridget Moix, legislative secretary of the Friends Committee on National Legislation, will speak on “Peace is Possible: Shifting from War Making to War Prevention” at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 18, in the Ronk Lecture Hall, located in the Schar College of Education building. Both events are free and open to the public.

The Ashland Center for Nonviolence, located on the campus of Ashland University, is committed to exploring and promoting alternatives to violence in ourselves, our families, our communities and our world. The center is committed to finding choices when there seem to be none, as well as answering the seemingly unanswerable question, “What else can we do?” For more information about this event, or to learn more about the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, call 419-289-5313 or visit online at www.ashland.edu/acn.

Ashland University (www.ashland.edu) is a mid-sized, private university conveniently located a short distance from Akron, Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio. Ashland University values the individual student and offers a unique educational experience that combines the challenge of strong, applied academic programs with a faculty and staff who build nurturing relationships with their students.