Nineteen years ago, on September 11, 2001, 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al Qaeda hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States. Two of the planes were flown into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third plane hit the Pentagon just outside Washington, D.C., and the fourth plane crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Almost 3,000 innocent people were killed during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (The New York Times)

While many gather at the 9/11 memorial site “Reflecting Absence” and the “Tribute in Light” in New York City, we now take this time to honor those we have lost from our home. Whether that is watching a documentary highlighting the horrific day or talking to those who remember the morning of September 11th, 2001, it’s important that we learn the significance of the effects 9/11 had and will still have on us- even till this day. 

In the Parade Newsroom, testimonies are shared on just how one event came to alter the lives of many, affected and unaffected. Rudolph Giuliani the New York City Mayor at the time, shares,“From the date of the attack that changed our world, we’ve come back to remember the valor of those we lost—those who innocently went to work that day and the brave souls who went in after them. We have also come to be ever mindful of the courage of those who grieve for them, and the light that still lives in their hearts.”

To tribute those who lost their lives in the tragic attacks, it’s important that we also recognize the fatalities during the post- 9/11 era due to hate crimes against American Muslims. “According to FBI statistics cited in the report, anti-Muslim hate crimes leaped from 28 in 2000 to 481 in 2001, including at least three murders. The bulk of those offences occurred after Sept. 11, 2001” writes Tribune national correspondent Steven Swanson for an article published by the Chicago Tribune on November 14, 2002- just two months after the September 11 attack.

Although this year’s remembrance event is taking place in a different setting as we all experience the Covid 19 outbreak with community members wearing masks and taking social distancing precautions. It is important to remember the strong men and women who risked their lives and the 3,000 people that will never be forgotten.