Not all Americans had the same experience of 9/11.

“When I was around 12 years old I went to Target with my father and we were checking out in the gardening section,” said Farahnaz Hadjimary, a third-year student at the University of Florida. “When the cashier finished ringing up our plants, my father handed the cashier his credit card. The lady seemed  skeptical about his name, Hassan Hadjimiry. She asked him where he was from and my father replied  that he was Iranian. The cashier had a disgusted look on her face when she handed back the card to my  father. We didn’t think much of the situation and continued on with our day. We were walking to our car  when we noticed that the cashier was following us. My father asked her what she was doing and she  replied that she was copying down our license plate number and was going to report it to the police  because she thought we were up to suspicious activity.”

Hadjimary, amongst about 60 other students, gathered in Turlington last Thursday for a panel on the impact that the devastation of September 11 had on different communities. The discussion was  followed by a candlelight vigil to honor the victims of the attack. A black ribbon was handed out to each attendee, given as a gift of remembrance.

Thirteen years ago, 19 militants of the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda hijacked four airliners launching a series of suicide attacks within the United States. To this day, our nation mourns the loss of  over 3,000 people who lost their lives in New York City and Washington, D.C. Fatalities included more  than 400 police officers and firefighters. However, the violence did not end there. According to an FBI report, prior to Sept. 11, anti-Islamic incidents were the second least reported  hate crimes. Following Sept.11, they became the second highest reported hate crime with growth of 1600 percent. Muslims were not the only group who felt the repercussions of the attacks. Arab-Americans, South Asian-Americans and Sikh-Americans were amongst the other minority groups who felt that they faced  adversity.

“When we talk about Sept. 11, we think about conventional America,” said Narayan Kulkarni, who organized the event. “We don’t talk about what it has done to us, to these communities.” Organizations such as the Asian American Student Union, Indian Students Association Arab Students Association, Islam on Campus and Sikh Students Association were present at the event. “This panel is the first of its kind at UF, and perhaps even in our state or, possibly, the nation,” said Kulkarni. “This is because it brought together American UF students and prominent student leaders of Arab, South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, and African backgrounds to discuss their experiences and  impressions of how 9/11 has affected them and their communities.” 

Kulkarni said the panel provided a safe and inclusive space for minorities who felt as though they had been oppressed and wrongly harmed following Sept. 11 due to negative stereotypes. “It offered a very genuine and reflective perspective to all,” said Kulkarni. “Those who did not identify among the represented communities gained valuable new insight and education, while those that did felt empowered and educated from hearing that other communities went through similar struggles as  they did.

“My inspiration to put on this event ties into my experiences following Sept. 11,” said Kulkarni. “I moved to Florida to start second grade that summer, and within a month of being in a new school, Sept.11  happened. I was bullied and called terrorist, Osama Bin Laden, and other hateful words by my peers, effectively ostracized from any and all group activities or friendships with my peers.” 

Members of the panel said that coming to UF gave them an opportunity to embrace and share their culture, as many felt that they had to hide their true cultural identities prior to coming to Gainesville. “I’m starting to see that this generation is becoming more open to understanding and acceptance,” said Hayat Kemal, a student panelist at the event.

Kulkarni has hope that others will see that a group of dedicated and passionate students were able to work together to create something empowering, and that it is a sign of  future collaborations between these organizations at UF, but also a sign of a truly inclusive society of  empowered and talented leaders.

“I saw it also as an opportune moment to program something innovative, to inspire the members within each of our respective communities to think as their student organizations not as insular  and exclusively social, but ways to seek unity across many different organizations and avenues of  involvement, a way to inspire civic engagement in my peers to aspire for something bigger and create a  truly inclusive and more just society for all,” said Kulkarni.

About 100 students gathered in Turlington Plaza after the discussion panel, for a candlelight vigil. It was an extremely emotional atmosphere for those who lost loved ones during the tragedy, and  those who felt oppression following the attacks. "Thirteen years have passed and I still find myself a victim of Sept. 11,” said Hadjimary. “I have been racially discriminated at schools, markets, stores, and airports. Education is the key to stopping this  ignorance and hatred occurring to the Middle Eastern and South-Asian communities.”