9/11 We Remeber

9/11 We Remember

 

To the MSM Community:

Sept. 11, 2001.

It doesn't seem like it was 17 years ago when planes hit the Twin Towers in New York City and changed our lives, and our world, forever. I want to take a moment to recognize the terrible loss our country suffered that day. I also want to acknowledge the brave first-responders who rushed into danger, not away from it, and helped save so many lives.

I was told a story from that day that sticks with me. On Sept. 11, 2001, the parking lot at the train station in a small New Jersey town was full. It's a commuter town, so most of the working folks there had jobs in New York City and would drive to the station, then use the train to get there. Normally, on any given day, people would pour out of the station and go to their cars, to drive home, after 5 p.m. But on that fateful day, only a few people trickled out. So many cars stayed at the station. They stayed there, unclaimed, for days and weeks, their drivers never to return to them, to their homes, to their families.

There are so many stories like this from 9/11, and they put into perspective our own daily struggles.

This day is also the anniversary of my inaugural address at MSM. So, on this day, I'm grateful. I'm grateful for all you do in your service as we lead the creation and advancement for health equity. Let this day serve as a reminder to express this kind of gratitude in your own lives — gratitude for the things we have, the people around us, the love we know, the place where we work and commute to and from work every day.  At Morehouse School of Medicine, our narrative matters and we are on a mission.

Thank you.

Best,
Valerie Montgomery Rice, MD
President and Dean

MSM Seal


 

collage of images from Dr. Montgomery's presidency