BOSTON — The city paused for a somber moment out of an otherwise joyous day to honor the victims and survivors of the Boston Marathon bombing nine years ago.
“It’s really emotional being here, and I know this moment has come through so much planning and so many feelings from families who are impacted and members of our community,” Mayor Michelle Wu said.
“It’s really meaningful to see such a big crowd out to commemorate and honor the lives that were lost here, and also make sure that we always remember them and what we do moving forward.”
Gov. Charlie Baker and Wu laid wreaths at the sites of the bombings on Boylston Street, and observed a moment of silence for the victims. Three people died that day: Martin Richard, Lingzi Lu, and Krystle Campbell, while Officer Sean Collier and Officer Dennis Simmonds died in the aftermath of the event. Over 200 others were injured in the attack, and 17 people lost limbs.
Baker and Wu also shook hands with survivors and family members of the attack.
“The families have done what I would describe as an extraordinary job trying to find a way to create some sort of positivity in all this,” Baker said of the folks directly impacted by the bombings. “The people who were injured, the fact that so many of them have found a way to fight their way back, and I think some of them are actually running tomorrow, (is) particularly meaningful.”
He said he expects “a roar from one end of the race to the other” for those injured in the terrorist attack who are running the marathon.
Baker also noted the significance of this year’s race being the first race back to its full scale since 2019, before the pandemic. The city held a largely virtual marathon this past October.
“This will be a big celebration,” Baker said. “It will be a celebration of the race, it will be a celebration of the way the city has come back from this, and the region has come back from this, and it will be a celebration of the people who were just honored here earlier with the mayor.”
Dave McGillivray, the race director of the Boston Marathon, feels the anniversary deeply every year, as his son was standing across the street from Martin Richard, who was just 8 when he died.
“To never forget is important, and to have these ceremonies I think is important so that their memory continues to live in our lives,” he said. “To have an event like this come back and come back at full strength, it just accentuates the moniker ‘Boston Strong.’”
Since 2015, the city has worked to rebrand the somber anniversary as “One Boston Day,” “an opportunity to celebrate the resiliency, generosity, and strength demonstrated by the people of Boston and those around the world in response to the tragedy of April 15th, 2013,” the event website states. Recommendations to commemorate the day include calling an older Bostonian in the neighborhood and donating blood with the Red Cross.
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