THE WIDESPREAD INFLUENCE
by Mason Harris ’24 and Oheneba Osei-Fordwuo ‘25
Imtiaz, among others, noted a heightened sense of unity, a commonness of purpose, and widespread patriotism. Stephen and many of his colleagues re-enlisted into the military following the attacks as they felt obligated to protect their nation. “They all re-enlisted, and they took this battle, and I worked up until a certain point, and then I left law enforcement and went overseas and did my part,” Stephen said. “No one ever shied Imriaz Stephen has served as away from what they Regis Jesuit’s Security Department had to do. None of them Head for three years. Photography by Leonardo Osuna ‘24 were scared or thwarted by what happened. They were ready for the as the war there – the challenge.” longest in the United People watched in One unfortunate States’ history – came horror as the attacks result of the September to a messy end. Imtiaz of September 11th, 11th attacks was Stephen, a former police 2001, ravaged New widespread and prevalent officer and soldier, and York City, Washington, xenophobia. Biases led the current head of D.C., and Shanksville, to the spread of false security at Regis Jesuit Pennsylvania. Nearly stereotypes across the High School, still feels the 3,000 people perished, United States. effects. and 22,000 more were “There was a certain “We went in to severely injured. Within amount of hatred that stabilize a nation and to the week, the United increased towards people help people out. I have States launched a war that were thought to be against those responsible friends that spilled their Arabs or from the Middle blood in that country. for the attacks, which East. I think there were They died for what is included an invasion of one or two people that a noble cause, as not Afghanistan. Now, 20 were killed innocently just everybody steps up to the years later, the same based on the color of their people watched in horror plate to go over there,” skin,” Stephen said. Stephen said. In the immediate aftermath of the attacks,
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Regis Jesuit Employees explain the influences since the attacks
Following the attacks of September 11th, 2001, people felt angry, vulnerable, and confused, with some scapegoating minorities in their communities, especially Muslims. John Buxton, a counselor at Regis Jesuit, saw this hatred plague his community. “We’re not necessarily in tune with those that are raised differently than we are. People want to blame someone for the bad things that happen. That reaction was against everything that I believed in, in terms of revenge, the scapegoating, the intolerance, and those didn’t reflect my values,” Buxton said. For many interviewed, the initial distrust within communities is connected to today’s widespread polarization. They remember a time when political parties came together on many issues, but today, they often remain deeply divided. For Bernie Sauer ‘97, a music teacher at Regis Jesuit, this divide has been an unfortunate effect of the last 20 years. “That was the start of what’s very polarizing today. I think we are the most polarized I’ve ever
seen in my lifetime, and I wish we could meet more in the middle on several issues,” Sauer said. In the aftermath of the recent withdrawal from Afghanistan, news outlets covered the impacts on groups like Afghan women, children, and translators who had worked for the United States military, indicating a small but perhaps important attempt to understand the perspectives of minoritized groups across the globe. For Mrs. Marianne Buehler, the unity that would solve these problems is still attainable. “I feel like we’re quick to cast judgment and blame instead of saying, ‘What can we do to make it better?’ On September 11th, we felt like we were neighbors, we were family, we were brothers and sisters together, and we don’t have that anymore. If we put people at the center of every decision we make, we can’t ever make a wrong decision,” she said.
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