09/11/2026
September 11th, 2001.
I was still in college, going part-time at William Paterson University. I remember walking in that morning and seeing everyone stopping in the hallways, gathered around TVs, trying to understand what was happening.
From Wayne, we could see the smoke coming from New York City. My girls were little at the time, and I remember the fear and confusion of that day. Schools were closing. Everyone was trying to pick up their kids. Phones weren’t working. Nobody really knew what was happening or what was coming next.
And then, as we began to understand the magnitude of what had happened, the sadness became overwhelming.
One thing I’ll also never forget is what happened afterward. For a moment, it felt like the entire country came together. There was such an incredible sense of unity and pride in being American. I still remember the emotion when baseball returned and we began trying to find some sense of normalcy again.
Twenty-five years later, as a photographer, I look at the images captured that day differently. They are heartbreaking, but they are also incredibly powerful. Those photographers and journalists preserved moments in history that generations will continue to see long after we’re gone. I have tremendous respect for the people who picked up their cameras that day and documented what was happening around them.
To everyone who lost a family member, friend, coworker, first responder, or someone they loved that day, and to everyone whose life was forever changed, we remember you.
May we never forget what happened on September 11th.
And may we never forget how, in one of our darkest moments, we came together.
🇺🇸 NEVER FORGET. 9•11•01 🇺🇸
