New York — The September 11 Memorial and Museum launches a $75 million fundraising campaign as the nonprofit tries to educate millions of Americans Young people who do not remember terrorist attacks On the upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary.
The latest call to boost the Never Forget Fund, announced on Wednesday, is from Mike Bloomberg. The former New York City mayor, who raised hundreds of millions of dollars for the September 11 Memorial and Museum as its president, pledged to match the next $25 million in donations through Bloomberg Philanthropies. Organizers have already secured the first $25 million through unspecified seed gifts.
Officials count about 97 million memorial visitors and nearly 28 million visitors to the museum since it opened in 2014 at the site where hijacked planes destroyed the World Trade Center towers in lower Manhattan. But recent years have witnessed a budget crisis Pandemic lockdown And interest from the Trump administration in Site control.
Beth Hillman, the organization’s president and CEO, says they need a permanent source of funding to reach the nearly 100 million Americans born after the attacks. The goal is to frame the aftermath of the event as an inspiration for acts of dedicated service and to provide key truths through new on-site exhibits and classroom materials.
“The continuing importance of remembering 9/11 is to remind people that they can come together even in the face of incredible loss,” Hillman told The Associated Press.
The legacy of the attacks of September 11, 2001, which killed nearly 3,000 people, remains hotly debated. Younger generations have only known the existence of airport checks, immigration enforcement officers and others Security measures taken by the US government after that. Many are reacting to the events through popular memes of the photo showing then-President George W. Bush learning about the developments. There are many conspiracy theories About what government officials in their leadership knew.
The idea of unity presented by the memorial and museum was also discussed. September 11 attacks It fueled 20 years of war abroad Which became increasingly unpopular as the death toll rose. Young American Muslims have grown up in their shadow Face hostility, mistrust and suspicion.
As the 25th anniversary approaches next September, Hillman sees a “compelling story of service, hope, resilience and coming together” for people who did not live through that period. These stories will be told in an exhibition titled “In Their Honor.” She noted that celebrity chef Bobby Flay was among many chefs who prepared meals for first responders in the months following the attacks. Stagehands brought their lights to turn on the darkened area around ground zero. Family members of victims have created social service organizations such as September 11 Day to inspire volunteer action in memory of their missing relatives. They also want to inform more people about first responders who have developed chronic illnesses and still face barriers to care.
Funds raised through the September 11 Memorial and Museum will ensure continued free access to the museum for students, first responders and veterans, according to Hillman, who said “we don’t want the price to be a barrier for them.” Standard adult admission currently costs $36. The nonprofit’s website notes that it “relies primarily on ticket sales to help fund its operational costs.”
The organization plans to reach more teachers with the funds. As teachers enter the workforce without experiencing the events of September 11, Hillman said they want help preparing lesson plans. The nonprofit runs summer institutes for teachers, offers professional development programs, and remakes a 30-minute film each year with first-hand stories.
Hillman acknowledged that there is a “greater degree of distraction and confusion” today than in the past when it comes to efforts to commemorate recent historical events. She sees the need to provide “simple representations of what happened.” The March/April issue of the Journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, guest edited by the staff of the September 11 Memorial and Museum, contains a timeline of the morning of September 11, 2001.
“9/11 is weighty, compelling, and full of inspiring stories,” Helman said. “But also, just a reliable collection of what happened that day, of material that can convey the basics of what happened — that’s the beginning of people learning and starting to understand it as well.”
Alex Edgar, a Gen Z civic leader who works with a group called Made By Us to amplify youth voices ahead of the 250th anniversary of the United States’ birth, sees value in emphasizing the power of service. He said his peers “have never seen a successful country” or a country that “truly fulfills the promise that America made.” He finds that narratives about overcoming division to achieve common goals serve as an antidote to the political polarization that young people often experience.
But he stressed that these narratives should permeate the walls of classrooms and the doors of museums.
“They call on young people to consider what prevents us from using any of the issues of our time as a rallying cry for people to come together from different backgrounds to build the kind of country and societies we want to live in,” he said.
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