In plaza, ‘remembrance walls’ rise
In the wake of tragedy, people gather to support each other, and to give thanks for family, friends, and community. After the Boston Marathon bombings and the area shutdown during the search for the suspects, the Harvard community has been doing just that. After the lockdown ended, President Drew Faust wrote, “Times like these test our resilience and call forth our humanity.” At daybreak on April 24, the day of a memorial service for slain Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier, 20 stark whiteboards with the words “Boston Strong” and “Harvard Remembers” bannered across their tops appeared in the newly renovated plaza near the Science Center. A stream of yellow, potted daffodils lined the area, where passersby were invited to take up dangling pens and share their thoughts or feelings. The project, called the “remembrance walls,” was the brainchild of the Undergraduate Council (UC), which wanted to provide an outlet for...