Upcoming Anniversary Ceremony will Acknowledge People Who have Died of 9/11 Illnesses
The National September 11 Memorial & Museum announced on May 12 that this year’s commemoration ceremony on the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center will contain a “seventh moment of silence.” At past ceremonies, six moments of silence have acknowledged the times when each of the World Trade Center towers was struck, when each tower fell, and the times corresponding to the attack at the Pentagon and the crash of United Airlines Flight 93 in Pennsylvania. But there has not been a place in these rituals for the people who died in the years that followed.
Members of the Lower Manhattan community relied on the assurances of public officials that there was no evidence of environmental hazards that would justify a delay in returning to their homes. In the decades since 2001, however, more than 9,000 people have succumbed to illnesses related to exposure to the toxic debris from the collapse of the World Trade Center in the past 24 years. This tally is more than three times the number of people killed on the day of the attacks, and it appears likely to grow. There are currently more than 53,000 cases of cancer linked to September 11 on file with the World Trade Center Health Program and the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund.
Support for a memorial honoring Lower Manhattan residents lost to September 11 illnesses has been a topic of discussion among community leaders for several years. Mariama James, a resident of the South Street Seaport neighborhood observes, “I believe that Lower Manhattan survivors share a separate September 11 experience from ‘victim families’ and ‘responders.’” She adds, “we do warrant our own recognition, rather than to be occasionally commingled in with the other cohorts, as an afterthought.”
“We have all lost all so many beautiful friends,” says Tribeca resident Wendy Chapman. “More people are sick right now with September 11-related illnesses than actually died on September 11. That’s a sobering statistic, and it’s just going to continue. Our families and our friends are going to continue to get sick.”
“I wish there was more acknowledgement to those who stayed,” she adds. “So many of us just really felt like we wanted to help rebuild the neighborhood. But the people who stayed and rebuilt have never really been acknowledged.”
Downtowner Tricia Joyce reflects, “this has become a decades-long disaster, which has devastated our community. One thing we can do, in addition to honoring those we lost on September 11, is to acknowledge those we have lost since, from September 11-related illnesses. I fully support not only bringing awareness to how many we have lost, but acknowledgement and solace to their loved ones.”
In the meantime, there will be a moment of silence at this year’s ceremony on September 11. Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who now serves as chairman of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, said, “the September 11 attacks caused devastation that extended far beyond that single day. In the aftermath, the heroism and spirit of our City and nation inspired the world—but over the years, tens of thousands of first responders, construction workers, volunteers, and survivors have become ill and, tragically, many have died. As we mark the 25th anniversary, adding this moment of silence ensures that we never forget every life lost on that day and in the years since.”