On September 11, 2026, UDC officials, DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson, Ward 5 Councilmember Zachary Parker, community members, and individuals who attended the former Bertie Backus Middle School marked the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks by unveiling a new 9/11 memorial honoring former Bertie Backus teacher Sara Clark and student Asia Cottom who lost their lives on American Airlines Flight 77. As shared in an article about that day, DC Public School teachers and students were traveling to California to attend an ecology conference sponsored by the National Geographic Society when their plane was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon.

Following 9/11, a small memorial plaque was installed at the site of the former Bertie Backus Middle School, which now houses the UDC Community College, Lamond-Riggs Campus. Over the years, the memorial became faded and residents asked about updating the memorial. UDC included updating the memorial and making it more prominent as part of the university’s Lamond-Riggs campus plan. ANC Commissioner Keith Sellars (5A01) made it a priority to get this done and earlier this year, UDC formed a working group to plan the new memorial.

Memorial planning committee members included Sequoyah Adebayo, Ed.D; UDC Archivist Chritopher Anglim; Tricia Clarke, PhD; Selam Daniel; Carolyn Dunlap; UDC Community Engagement Director Juanita D. Gray, M.S.Ed.; Jerry Johnson; Cathie Reid; and ANC Commissioner Keith J. Sellars (5A01).

By all accounts, the ceremony was quite moving. WTOP did a nice write-up on the event. I could not make the ceremony so I asked my sister Nia to attend and take photos. One of Ms. Clark’s former students, Cathie Reid, shared with me via email:

It was truly a privilege and an honor to pay tribute to Ms. Clark. She was such a meaningful part of my life, and I am forever grateful for the love, guidance, and encouragement she gave me. Her impact on my life is something I will carry with me always. I will forever cherish the memories we shared and hold close the beautiful person she was. I will never forget her, nor will I ever forget what she meant to me.

Photo gallery below.