Commemorative Program Shares Diverse Stories and Highlights the Ongoing Relevance of 9/11
Join the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on September 9th to commemorate the 21st anniversary of 9/11 by registering for their FREE Anniversary in the Schools program.
By Meredith Ketchmark, Assistant Manager of Youth & Family Programs
Registration is now open for Anniversary in the Schools, an annual program in commemoration of the 9/11 attacks.
Last September marked 20 years since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, unfolded. While millions of people can still remember where they were that fateful morning and may continue to experience the pain and grief associated with the attacks, millions more have been born in the years since 9/11—many now entering adulthood—who possess no memory of that day.
To help this new generation understand why it is important to learn about 9/11 and understand its continued impact on the world today, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum relies on the power of storytelling to connect students to people who witnessed the attacks, those who survived, those who responded, and those whose lives were forever changed.
This year, students, teachers and communities across the globe can join the more than 2 million people who have connected with these impactful first-person narratives by participating in Anniversary in the Schools, a free commemorative program available on demand beginning Sept. 9.
The program consists of a 30-minute film that features a diverse group of speakers sharing their personal 9/11 stories from inside the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. An interactive live chat, available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. EDT on Sept. 9 and 11, will also allow viewers to connect directly with museum staff to have their questions answered in real time.
In addition to emphasizing the importance of commemoration, this year’s program will also highlight the voices of those whose stories have often been left untold. It is our hope that these four speakers—who include survivors, first responders and young people—will open people’s eyes to the far-reaching effects of 9/11 and offer messages of hope, demonstrating that we can move forward together in the face of hardship and tragedy.
View a short trailer of this year’s program below, and continue reading to learn more about this year’s speakers.
Keating Crown was in his office on the 100th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center when he witnessed the North Tower’s impact by hijacked Flight 11. He began his evacuation using the stairs, making it to the sky lobby on the 78th floor just as hijacked Flight 175 impacted his building between floors 77 and 85. Despite being injured, Crown managed to make it down to the ground level where he was treated by on-site EMS personnel before being taken to a hospital.
David Lim, a Port Authority Police Department lieutenant, was in the basement of the South Tower with his K-9 partner, Sirius, when he felt the building violently tremble. Knowing he had a duty to respond, he secured Sirius in his kennel before heading to the North Tower to help people evacuate. Lim miraculously survived the collapse of the North Tower, working with other trapped first responders to free themselves from the rubble that surrounded them. While Lim was fortunate to survive, his partner Sirius was killed in the collapse of the South Tower.
Regina Wilson joined the New York City Fire Department in 1999 as one of just seven Black candidates and the only woman in a class of more than 300. On the morning of 9/11, Wilson switched duties with a colleague and mentor of hers. After initially being dispatched to investigate a suspicious package, Wilson’s engine truck was quickly reassigned to the World Trade Center site, where she helped control fires caused by the collapse of the towers.
Bridget Gormley, only 11 years old on 9/11, considered herself lucky when her father, firefighter William Gormley, returned home on the evening of Sept. 11 after responding to the World Trade Center. He continued to work for months at ground zero, a job that would ultimately lead to his untimely death from 9/11-related bladder cancer in 2017. Bridget has since become a voice in the 9/11 community, advocating for those who—like her father—have suffered from their exposures on and after 9/11.
To learn more about the program, and to register, visit 911memorial.org/webinar.
Through commemoration, exhibitions, and educational programs, the National September 11 Memorial & Museum remembers and honors the 2,983 people killed in the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001 and February 26, 1993, as well as those who risked their lives to save others and all who demonstra
