A 9/11 grassroots organization, created to turn grief into action, rallied on Thursday to mark the 25th anniversary of that tragic day to honor loved ones and warn the U.S. against making the same mistakes. This was just days after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released 170,000 files revealing that officials lied to residents about the extent of Ground Zero’s toxicity, and after the Central Intelligence Agency unveiled its largest release focused on the 9/11 attacks. Caitlin Clift has more.
CLIP 1: CHANTING
That’s the sounds of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
who rallied in New York’s Union Square in front of the Mahatma Gandhi Statue before marching in a silent vigil to Ground Zero in New York City.
The organization, Peaceful Tomorrows, was founded to quote “turn grief into action for peace,” and “to break the cycles of violence engendered by war and terrorism” as noted on their website.
Frida Berrigan, peace activist, and daughter of Philip Berrigan, key leader of the Catonsville Nine, highlighted the lessons to be learned from the U.S.' emphasis on military intervention post-9/11.
CLIP 2: “9/11 put the United States into the world community.”
Since their founding in 2002, Peaceful Tomorrows’ advocacy covers issues exacerbated by 9/11, ranging from counterterrorism to Islamophobia.
Daisy Khan, the founder of Women's Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality, remembers the exclusion of Muslims from grief following the attacks.
CLIP 3: “The attack was immediately associated with Muslims.”
Peaceful Tomorrows’ action came just days after New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released over 170,000 pages of documents revealing that officials repeatedly and intentionally misled residents about the toxic air quality levels after 9/11.
For Khan, the news was not surprising. She refused to go near Ground Zero for ten years after 9/11 due to fear of the potential toxicity.
CLIP 3: “I’m so glad the mayor had the courage to release this information.”
While the actual event caused nearly 3,000 deaths, the World Trade Center Health Program details findings that suggest that almost 10,000 individuals have died from 9/11-related illnesses, including at least 69 cancers. The total exposure number is 400,000.
During the event, Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! honored both those who have passed from illnesses tracing back to the attacks, and the invisible victims.
CLIP 4: “September 11th united us with people around the world”
It is estimated that 67 victims of 9/11 were undocumented immigrants, the majority being workers at Windows on the World restaurant. On top of this number, most workers who were sent to clean up 9/11 debris were immigrants – with an estimated 6,000 of them being undocumented.
Reporting for WBAI News, I’m Caitlin Clift.
