
On April 15th, 2013, the 117th Annual Boston Marathon was afoot, consisting of 23,000 athletes from 96 different countries and 6 different continents. There were over 800 volunteers and thousands of spectators cheering on and encouraging runners to reach their goal: the finish line. At its core, the Boston Marathon is a celebration of community and diversity, as well as endurance; but that same community and endurance were put to the test when an improvised explosive device detonated near the finish line on Boylston Street. It was put to the test again when the second bomb exploded 13 seconds later only 200 feet away from the first blast. Debris from the explosions took the lives of three people and injured more than 240 more. It was devastating and its effects can still be felt four years later. By examining the reactions in the aftermath of the Boston Marathon Bombings from an individual to community level one can argue that for a community to recover from an act of terror, it must promote togetherness.

Individual acts of selflessness are the catalyst of the healing process for a community effected by tragedy. Recovery starts and ends with the individual. In other words, recovery begins when one person steps up to help another. This simple display of comradery sets off a chain reaction of people selflessly putting themselves in harm’s way to help a stranger in need. Seconds after the first pressure cooker bomb went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, there was destruction, pain, and pandemonium. However, a plethora of spectators and volunteers rose to the occasion and consequently risked their lives by rushing to the aide of those injured. In the aftermath of the explosions, every person perceived another as exactly what they are: human. It did not matter if the person in need was black or white, male or female, or anything in between. If a person was in critical need of help in the situation like the bombings, someone felt compelled to assist them. This captivating display of comradery in a time of such chaos is the epitome of a community: people coming together for a common goal. Additionally, so many runners continued from their formidable 26.2-mile trek to the nearest hospitals to donate blood. In fact, it got to the point where hospitals had to start turning potential donors away. People also offered a place to sleep for displaced runners, among other selfless acts. These individual acts are equally credited for beginning the healing process for Boston. Adrian Ward, who has a PhD in psychology, describes the aftermath of the Boston Marathon: “These overwhelming displays of helping—of selflessness and what psychologists call ‘prosocial behavior’—are beautiful in and of themselves. But they are even more beautiful because they transcend us-vs-them ways of thinking” (Ward). In other words, no one thought about risking their life to help somebody else, it was just an instinctual response to the terrorist attack. This instinctual response to help those in need is a powerful equal and opposite reaction to terror attacks since, most of the time, a terror attack is meant to divide a community and cause chaos. Furthermore, the fact that people in the crowd rushed forward to help friends and complete strangers alike rekindles the flame of compassion in a community. All of these people were strangers brought together by tragedy working together for the purpose of helping someone in need and, as a result, make the event a little less horrible. By coming together, people prove they are neither alone nor isolated in their loss. People find comfort in knowing they are not alone. That comfort found through unity and helping people is the beginning of a community's recovery from tragedy. 

These individual acts of kindness assisted the first responders in providing effective care for the injured. According to a study by Doğulu et al.:

“…it is important to have well formulated disaster risk management plans and carry out services in a coordinated fashion and that aid and services be provided in an efficient, timely, fair, and adequate manner. From a community psychology perspective, these will help to create a sense of safety, calm, and connectedness, increase community efficacy, and instill hope in survivors which are all essential elements of evidence-informed psychosocial approaches” (1).

Effective response to crisis not only minimizes casualties, but also demonstrates a fellowship that promotes the healing of a community. According to Judith Rodin, President of the Rockefeller Foundation, “Boston’s response to the marathon bombings – which saved lives, maintained order... and brought a community together to heal, all in less than a week –was hardly good fortune” (Rodin). Boston's operational plans and Urban Shield exercises to find and fix problems within the plans are the reason why communication between Medical Tent A, first responders, and the hospitals was extremely successful in handling the unexpected explosions. By expecting the best and being prepared for the worst, volunteers in Medical Tent A, first responders, and staff in the surrounding hospitals were able to limit further casualties on that distressing day. Their seemingly effortless cohesiveness as a team provides an example of perseverance to the people in a traumatized community. For instance, Medical Tent A had only minutes to prepare an impromptu triage and trauma unit for over 240 people with injuries varying from critical and life threatening to minor. The first responders arrived at Medical Tent A and escorted 30 critically wounded patients to the nearest hospitals approximately 18 minutes after the explosions initially occurred. The efficient teamwork and organization between volunteer nurses and doctors in Medical Tent A and the first responders saved countless lives. Every one of the injured who made it to a hospital lived. As a result, Boston's effective response to crisis brought the community together to heal by minimizing the loss of life, setting an example of perseverance and providing comfort in the fact that first responders are prepared.   

Community events in the week following a crisis bring members of the community together to heal. To encourage the healing of his community, Former Governor of Massachusetts Deval Patrick organized an interfaith memorial service on April 18th. A study on community recovery after a tragic event claims that “the state as a central actor as well as its local institutions were…perceived to boost resilience” (Doğulu). Patrick's choice to organize the memorial service as interfaith was to unite the diverse people of Boston. By creating an event that promotes unity, people witness that they are not the only ones effected by a terror event like the Boston Bombings. Furthermore, people can see that the suffering does not conform to one race or religion, but is felt deeply by everyone. An interfaith event can prevent blame being placed on one culture or religion and lessen the chances of further conflict. At the interfaith memorial service, guest speakers, Former President Barack Obama and minister Nancy Taylor, urged the people of Boston to look beyond their differences and unite to heal and help others heal. Having prominent, trustworthy figures in a community design and speak at events like this is important for communities to feel resilient after devastation (McCrea). Another example of an event that brought a grieving community together was held on April 20th, 2013. A tribute was held at Fenway Park by the Boston Red Sox for first responders, police officers, runners, victims and their families, and others affected by the explosions at the Boston Marathon. This largely attended event highlighted the resilience and strength of their community in the face of a tragic event. This event brought people together to further prove that they are not alone in their grief and loss. Boston's resilience and strength as a community was reaffirmed months later when the Red Sox won the World Series. These events made recovery achievable because they celebrated diversity and urged unity. This combination is successful because it brings people together under a common cause. In Boston’s case, the cause was healing after the terror attack. Through memorials, tributes, and a celebration their baseball victory, the people in a community impacted by tragedy are able to take another step toward recovery. 

However, the rate or speed of a person’s recovery depends on multiple factors and is largely subjective. Some people might argue that individuals and families affected by the Boston Marathon Bombings are still struggling to cope with the devastating, life-changing impacts despite the resilience of their community. This argument is undeniably valid. A physical wound from the explosions may heal, but it is the invisible psychological wound that takes time to overcome. In his blog, Dan Soleau, a Brand Development Manager at Marathon Sports, admits, "Sometimes I’ll be in the middle of a conversation and find myself fighting back tears because something triggered a feeling from that day – I feel my voice get heavy and thick as I try not to betray the sudden sadness that surges" (Soleau). Not everyone is able to cure their psychological wounds, instead they learn to cope day to day, like Soleau. People coping after a terror attack often feel alone in their struggle to achieve normalcy; this feeling of isolation causes people to feel weak in comparison to others who appear to be unaffected by the event. What people struggling to cope need to understand is "the pain, tears, stress, sorrow, hope and inspiration are a burden shared by a community - that is how we are able to cope as individuals." (Soleau). Soleau is trying to say that no one is left unscathed by a terror attack. Recovery from any wound is a process that takes coping and time to complete. The only way for a person to cope with their new reality is by acknowledging that people in their community have felt their pain and are present to help. 

Individuals keep the recovering community together in the weeks, months, and years following a terror attack. According to research by Carmelo Vazquez, Pau Perez-Sales, and Gonzalo Hervas, "a majority of the people exposed to trauma report that they have experienced some kind of benefit derived not from the trauma itself but from the coping process linked to the adverse experience" (Vazquez, et al. 68). Three coping mechanisms explored in the article were discovering hidden or undeveloped strengths, sharing emotions in a social setting, and increasing philanthropic tendencies. The results of the article "showed that, following the attack, seven character strengths (gratitude, hope, kindness, leadership, love, faith, and teamwork) increased significantly, and moreover, this increase was sustained months later” (Vazquez, et al. 69). The new strengths people discover from the trauma of the tragic event support resilience and community healing by allowing a person to find a new purpose in their altered community. Their new purpose helps them feel like they can be a functioning member of the community again. For sharing emotions, people can turn to religion, support groups, important people in their lives, or anyone they believe will listen. Through connecting to others in their community, people affected by tragic events such as the Boston Marathon bombings are able to discover a new or renewed purpose. In addition, people often find that they are not alone in their feelings, which makes them feel validated about their emotions. This validation helps them feel more comfortable with the people in their community. In regard to the increase in philanthropic tendencies, people donate money to charities, establish non-profits to honor the memory of a loved one, give their blood, or volunteer. As mentioned earlier, exhausted runners in the marathon continued from their 26.2-mile destination to the closest hospital to donate their blood. An example of a non-profit organization that is a direct result of the bombings is the Martin W. Richard Charitable Foundation Inc. This non-profit was founded in 2014 by the parents of Martin Richard, who was killed in the first explosion at the Boston marathon. By giving back to the community, the Richard family is effectively supporting their mission to encourage people to improve other's lives through "togetherness, teamwork, fairness, sportsmanship, inclusion, and simple acts of kindness" ("Our Mission"). All of which are qualities that can build a healthy, resilient community from the one that was tested by the two explosions. The healing process starts and ends with the individual. From the individual who aids the injured in the seconds after a terror attack to the individual who continues to help people years later, a community cannot recover and become stronger unless the people in it come together along the way.

Boston Strong. How can two words inspire such a profound feeling of unity? The phrase began its journey as a hashtag in the hours after the Boston Marathon Bombings. Now, Boston Strong is on shirts, hats, coffee mugs, bumper stickers and everything in between. It is a mantra shouted in the street. It is a prayer quietly offered. Boston Strong has evolved into something meaningful; it is more than the sum of its parts. Boston Strong represents a community that comes together in its darkest hours to overcome terror and uncertainty through resilience and comes out stronger than it was before. Boston Strong also includes individuals who are still healing or may never completely heal from the trauma and loss caused by the explosions. Most importantly though, Boston Strong encourages a group of individuals to become a community by promoting unity in a city that should have been divided by a terror attack, but is now stronger than ever. As well as, proving that other communities in similar situations can also come out strong if the people remain united.
