Uniting to create a beautiful memorial at the WTC site
Welcome to the Coalition of 9/11 Families first issue of the Tribute. The Coalition was formed several months ago by a consortium of 9/11 family groups that formed organizations in the aftermath of 9/11/01. Those organizations include the 9/11 Widows and Victims’ Families Association, Give Your Voice, September’s Mission, Skyscraper Safety Campaign, St. Clare’s WTC Outreach Committee, Voices of September 11th and the WTC United Family Group. The goal of the Coalition is to share information and provide representation of our families’ voices in the development of the World Trade Center Memorial.
Strength In Unity
In the months after 9/11 our families shared feelings of shock, anger and grief regarding the loss of our loved ones. We have also shared a concern regarding the lack of information available on the recovery and identification process, assistance programs and financial resources. We worked together to gather information and send to families who were not receiving necessary information through formal means of communication. We attended meetings with officials of the City and State of New York allowing us to provide significant information and the concerns of our families. We distributed this information through the media, email and our websites to inform as many families as possible about the decisions being made in regard to our loved ones.
We are now focusing on development plans for the WTC Memorial. Many of the founding members of the Coalition serve on the LMDC Family Advisory Council (FAC). Coalition members felt the need to provide a broader representation of family views on the memorial in addition to the 24 family members represented on the FAC. The larger our representation, the more influence we will have in the tribute to our loved ones. We formally organized the Coalition to present our views on an appropriate memorial. While we are not insensitive to the fact that New York is the largest city in America and one of the world’s greatest economic centers, its revitalization cannot overshadow the memory of our loved ones. The impact of 9/11 on our lives and the lives of all Americans demand that we remember the sacrifices made that tragic day by erecting a magnificent Memorial to honor our loved ones. Our generation must preserve this sacred site for our children and future generations.
Construction has begun and plans are being put into place for redevelopment at the WTC site. The infrastructure of transportation and design began even before recovery efforts were complete. City planners are approving plans that will drastically affect the spacing, size and design of our memorial. We need to unite and express our voice now on the tribute to our loved ones. The Coalition of 9/11 Families drafted a position paper outlining the minimum area of the WTC site designated for our memorial and presented it to the LMDC several months ago. LMDC board members are now expressing plans to extend Greenwich and Fulton Street directly through the site, leaving a smaller area for the memorial.
Express Your View
We need to convey to the LMDC your support of the Coalition’s memorial recommendations or opinion on development of the WTC memorial before plans progress further. The Coalition maintains an open door policy for all families who lost a loved one on 9/11 to contribute their thoughts on the WTC memorial. We are eager to hear your feelings. Enclosed is a response card for your support of the Coalition or further suggestions on the WTC memorial. We are summarizing responses on a very general level to convey to the LMDC the majority feelings from families at this time. As plans progress, we will provide more information and continue requesting your voice. We look forward to uniting to create a beautiful memorial in remembrance of our loved ones.
