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Families reflect at the dawn of the 25th anniversary of September 11th
As the world remembers the harrowing terrorist attacks that would shape the United States for the next 25 years, families of those lost reflect on how 9/11 is being remembered in the modern day.
Elizabeth Miller, daughter of Staten Island firefighter Douglas C. Miller and Project Director of September 11th Families for a Peaceful Tomorrows, recognises that the 25th anniversary carries a heavy feeling.
“It's a hard anniversary emotionally,” she said. “I truly can’t believe it has been 25 years without my dad, so many memories made that he has missed.”
The 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks marks a major shift in the events remembrance, as an entire generation of people exist without first-hand memory of the day.
10% of adults alive today were born after 9/11 according to the Pew Research Center. A survey conducted by the research center found that out of approximately 5,100 18-24 year olds, 60% first learnt about the attacks through schoolwork while smaller groups of people cited learning from family members or their own research.
For Elizabeth Miller, the memory of 9/11 has not innately changed, but how those reflect on the day has been impacted by modern events.
“I do think 25 years later there is a deeper understanding of the reality of the aftermath of 9/11,” she said.
“The continued death toll of those who helped at the pile, the continued rise of civilian casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan, and too much time spent on the war on terror.”
Through her work with Peaceful Tomorrows, a remembrance organisation determined to turn grief of the impacted families into action for peace, Elizabeth highlights the importance of looking at the ‘full picture’ of 9/11 and its impacts today.
“I also want people to recognize the terrible rise in Islamophobia that occurred after 9/11, that carries into today,” she said.
“Two things can exist at the same time, and while that was occurring, there was also a rise in kindness across neighbors.”
While there is still political and societal divide impacting the remembrance of 9/11, most recently with families of those lost petitioning for NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to not attend Ground 0 memorial services, Elizabeth hopes that 9/11 can instead be a cause for a global community to unite against unnecessary hate.
“I would love to advocate and see a world where people look past political ideology, religion, ethnicity, and learn to be kind and love each other as they are.”