Deming Praises Student Patriotism, Says Unity Can Outlast Division at Sept. 11 Vigil

Harvard College Dean David J. Deming praised the patriotism of students who gathered at a Friday morning vigil marking the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, telling them that national unity could outlast the country’s political divisions.

Deming said public patriotism, trust, and “religious participation” all surged after 2001, though he acknowledged that some of those shifts have faded in recent years.

“Some of these changes didn’t last, but it was a reminder that, however divided this country can sometimes feel, we can and will unite against a common threat,” he said. “As I look out at the audience today, I see young people who still want those things from America.”

The vigil, held on the steps of Memorial Church before more than 60 attendees, opened with a funeral toll at 8:46 am — the moment the first plane struck the World Trade Center. The ceremony closed after Deming’s remarks with a performance by two student bagpipers.

Deming began by recounting his own memory of Sept. 11, 2001, when he was a college senior on a road trip with his family. His wife, whom he had not yet met, was working in New York when the towers were hit.

“The truth is that 9/11 was one of the days when everyone remembers exactly where they were and who they were with,” he said.

He said that, as he does when speaking to commemorate other events, he had tried to find a “silver lining” in the day but struggled to due to the magnitude of the tragedy.

“As I sat down to write this speech, I struggled to draw any larger lessons from this unthinkable dread,” Deming said. “I don’t think there is one, except that we should never forget, and I’m optimistic that we won’t.”

Deming honored the Harvard affiliates, numbering at least 12, killed in the attacks, including three Harvard College alumni — David D. Alger ’66, Michael B. Packer ’76, and G. Edward Hanson Jr ’61. But he said the attacks reached far beyond those who were directly affected.

“9/11 was an attack on the idea of America, on who we are,” Deming said. “It changed some things about America forever.

“We gave up some civil liberties, some temporarily and some permanently,” he added.

The vigil was hosted by the Concord Institute, a student group founded last year to promote patriotism and “celebrate America” at Harvard College. An earlier version of its website — which is currently down — lists Economics professors Jason Furman ’92 and David I. Laibson ’88 as faculty advisers. Both attended Friday’s vigil, along with Dean of Students Thomas G. Dunne.

Brandon H. Cheng ’29, the Concord Institute’s chairman, wrote in a statement that he and his cofounders were “compelled in part” to start the group by the absence of a Sept. 11 commemoration on campus last year.

“Though the vast majority of Harvard College students were not alive in 2001, we believe it remains as important as ever to remember the victims of that day, their families and the first responders who saved countless lives,” Cheng wrote.

Deming credited the group’s members with keeping the day in view for a generation that did not live through it or have personal memories of the attacks.

“It would be easy for students like you to put this aside, to read about it in the history books, but instead you’ve worked to keep the memory of 9/11 alive,” Deming said. “I’m grateful for that.”

He closed by praising young people who are “proud of their country” and committed to equality and inalienable rights.

“It makes me proud to be an American all over again, 25 years later,” he added. “I hope that by understanding our history, vigils, and remembrance today, we can rekindle that great American spirit.”

—Staff writer Alma T. Barak can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at almabk.54. Follow her on X @almabk_.

—Staff writer Theresa F. Bartelme can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at theresabartelme.15. Follow her on X @theresabartelme.