On Sept. 11, 2001, nearly 3,000 people lost their lives after terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
While most University of Wisconsin students were under the age of six when this happened, students still came together Tuesday morning to remember and honor those who died.
For more than a decade, College Democrats and College Republicans have come together in a bipartisan effort to place flags on Bascom Hill to honor those lives lost.
College Republicans spokesperson Alec Bukowiec said it’s important this display is in the center of campus so students are sure to see it.
“We see these flags as such a huge picture of what happened in a good way to remember the nearly 3,000 people that died,” Bukowiec said. “I mean you can’t miss it. It’s at the heart of campus.”
Evers to challenge Walker, Vukmir to take on Baldwin in key November races
College Democrats chair Eliana Locke added that it’s important for students to do something to honor the victims and their families.
Since most students were very young when the terrorist attacks happened, they have little to no memory of the events that transpired. Locke said though students may not remember what happened, remembering the event is critical so that it never happens again.
“It’s just such a wonderful reminder for all students, especially now that we’re a generation of college students that were so young when this event took place, this terrible tragedy,” Bukowiec said.
Gov. Scott Walker proposes ‘ambitious’ agenda for 2018 in annual address
While Democrats and Republicans may disagree on many topics, both sides recognize the tragedy that happened that day, Locke said.
Along the same vein, Gov. Scott Walker honored the victims today at the Milwaukee County War Memorial, where he said it was a day of tragedy but also a day when the country stood together as a more unified nation.
Bukowiec said this event shows there is common ground between the two parties. While Democrats and Republicans might be portrayed as opposing on many issues, they have a lot of the same interests, he said.
“We might be Democrats, we might be Republicans, but at the end of the day we’re all Americans,” Locke said.
