Twenty-five years ago, the September 11 attacks sent shock waves across the United States, uniting the nation in a moment of shared grief and altering the country's sense of safety. However, the enduring impact and meaning of 9/11 are not universally shared, with individual experiences shaped by personal connections, political actions, and the passage of time.
For younger generations born after 2001, 9/11 is primarily a subject of historical study. Yet, for those who lived through it, the event's aftermath continues to resonate. The collective memory of 9/11 is a complex tapestry, woven from varied perspectives. As Daniel Aldrich, a professor at Northeastern University who studies communities and resilience, notes, "The same event... is completely different depending on your network."
These networks include families who lost loved ones, individuals involved in the recovery efforts, those who joined the military in response, and people whose livelihoods were affected by disruptions in industries like tourism and air transportation. Furthermore, communities and individuals from certain countries faced heightened suspicion and scrutiny in the post-9/11 era.
Jenna McPartland, whose husband was killed at the World Trade Center, exemplifies these overlapping experiences. She later had two more sons, who, while not biologically related to their deceased father, are connected to their older brother's story. McPartland ensures her younger sons understand that Sept. 11 is part of their family's narrative, reflecting how the event's impact transcends immediate loss.
Government responses to the attacks, such as the restructuring of agencies and the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, along with foreign policy decisions like the invasion of Afghanistan, have also significantly shaped the post-9/11 landscape. The attacks intensified existing tensions around immigration, leading to policies like the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System in 2002. Critics condemned this system, which required non-U.S. citizen males from predominantly Muslim countries to register, as racial and religious profiling. Jayesh Rathod, a professor at Georgetown Law, explains that the "idea that there’s this outside threat in the form of people who look like this or from particular countries really fueled the reorganization of the Department of Homeland Security."
The legacy of these policies is evident in the continued existence of the Transportation Security Administration and the broader securitization of society. Rathod adds, "The idea that we need to do everything possible to protect ourselves from whatever this threat is, amorphous threat, has become totally normalized."
The post-9/11 environment also saw the establishment of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, an agency that became prominent for its controversial immigration crackdowns. In a nation already grappling with racism and xenophobia, the attacks exacerbated fears, as seen in the tragic murder of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh gas station owner in Arizona, who was killed by an assailant mistaking him for an Arab.
Vida Lashgari, a 21-year-old Californian, learned about the attacks' impact on Middle Easterners, Sikhs, and other communities of color. She notes that her father and many others from Middle Eastern backgrounds became "more hyper-aware of their appearance, their difference in the way they spoke and dressed in the U.S. after 9/11." While she has learned about these experiences, for her generation, it remains a historical event, albeit one that divided life into a distinct "before" and "after."
Some in this younger generation draw parallels between the stark shift caused by 9/11 and their experience with the COVID-19 pandemic. Lashgari describes the pandemic as the closest she has felt to her world changing overnight, providing a perspective on events beyond personal control.
As time passes and new significant events emerge, the prominence of 9/11 in public memory evolves. Sociology professor Amy Sodaro, who studies memorials and museums, notes that while she initially believed 9/11 would permanently define society, other geopolitical events and societal changes have reshaped its historical significance. The ongoing efforts to create memorials and museums aim to preserve the memory of 9/11, acknowledging that collective and individual historical memory are continually influenced by new experiences.