Remember the Sky: Honoring 9/11

By Meredith Ketchmark

Honoring Their Legacy

For those who remember 9/11, it is hard to believe that 20 years have passed since that fateful Tuesday morning. The attacks forever changed the lives of victims’ families and friends, survivors, first responders, rescue and recovery workers, volunteers, millions of Americans, and others around the world. Today, their legacy continues to be felt in ways both big and small. Few events, if any, have had this enduring effect in recent history. As we commemorate the 20th anniversary of 9/11, how can we underscore the ongoing relevance of the attacks while also helping us with the challenges we face today? The 9/11 Memorial & Museum offers several programs to help educators. And we are encouraging you to join us on social media for this one.

Remember the Sky Social Media Activation

We invite you to join the 9/11 Memorial & Museum on Sept. 11, in our Remember the Sky Social Media Activation, an act of collective remembrance to honor those killed 20 years ago and all who ran toward danger to save others. For younger Americans, 9/11 wasn’t a lived experience but history. Your participation in this project will help expose a new generation to the lessons learned during and following 9/11 as—together—we fulfill our collective promise to never forget.

You can join people nationwide to take part in this active remembrance to recognize how we are all connected with one another underneath the same big sky. It is inspired by the clear blue sky that was present in New York City and across the country on 9/11, as well as by Spencer Finch’s monumental art installation in the 9/11 Memorial Museum. His artwork, “Trying to Remember the Color of the Sky on That September Morning,” is comprised of 2,983 watercolors—each a unique shade of blue—a tribute to the enormity of collective loss and the individuality of the victims. This collective project seeks to engage audiences in meaningful conversation, serving as a bridge between memory and history for the tens of millions of young people who did not live through the day that changed our world forever.

To participate, we are asking you to:

• Post an image of the sky where you are on Instagram.
• Add a personal note of what 9/11 means to you.
• Add the hashtag #NeverForget911 and tag @911Memorial.
• Consider tagging other people or influential connections and encourage them to post on their own Instagram.

Other things to consider when posting:

• The sky color will depend on the weather in your area. Even if your sky is not blue, we still hope you share a photo. The spirit of this effort is one of active remembrance, regardless of the color of the sky that day. Even if yours isn’t clear and blue, you participation and authentic reflections on the day are what’s important.
• There are six moments of silence that are observed on the morning of the 9/11 anniversary. We ask you to avoid posting your picture during these moments (all are Eastern time): 8:46, 9:03, 9:37, 9:59, 10:03 and 10:28.
• If possible, please try to post earlier in the day on Sept. 11. This will help ensure that most people hear about the effort early and can also participate before the end of the day.

If you don’t have an Instagram account, you can still participate. Visit NeverForget.org/remember to add a note of remembrance to our digital Blue Sky Remembrance wall so that, together, we can reflect, learn, and fulfill our collective promise never to forget.

Learn more about the Anniversary in the Schools Program. You can also learn more about this year’s webinar and how to use it in your classroom by watching the 9/11 Memorial & Museum’s for-credit webinar here.

Bring the free exhibition, “September 11, 2001: The Day that Changed the World”, to your classroom with these downloadable posters and teaching materials.

About the Author

Meredith Ketchmark is the Assistant Manager of Youth & Family Programs at the 9/11 Memorial & Museum. Prior to her work in this role, Meredith has held several other positions within the museum's education department since 2014. She holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Wagner College where her coursework, along with her love of history and learning, is what propelled and inspired her to pursue a career in the field of museum education.

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