Caribbean Life, S 24 EPTEMBER 10-16, 2021
9/11: 20 YEARS LATER
By Nelson A. King
As the 20th anniversary
of the Sept. 11, 2001
terrorist attacks on the
United States nears, Caribbean
legislators in New
York have been reflecting
on one of the darkest days
in American history.
“As America’s longest
war ends, and Sept. 11th
nears once again, it is
critical we not only reflect
on what was lost but what
could have been if not
for either,” Congresswoman
Yvette D. Clarke,
the daughter of Jamaican
immigrants, told Caribbean
Life on Tuesday.
“Make no mistake, this is
a moment for celebration
and reflection.
“While the war in
Afghanistan has ended,
and the United States
looks towards its next
chapter, we must take the
lessons learned from one
day and two decades of
tragedy and promise to
never again invoke the
same mistakes,” added
the representative for the
predominantly Caribbean
9th Congressional District
in Brooklyn.
Clarke’s trailblazing
mother, former New York
City Councilwoman Dr.
Una S.T. Clarke, the first
Caribbean-born woman
to be elected to the City
Council, said her compatriot
husband, Leslie
Clarke, worked for the
Port Authority of New
York and New Jersey during
the two attacks on the
then World Trade Center.
“The first time, he went
to the hospital downtown
(Manhattan); the second
time was Election Day,”
Dr. Clarke said. “He was
in the field watching for
her daughter (Yvette) to
be elected. I keep reminding
my husband that that
there are always miracles
in life, and there’s a reason
for everything.
“God knows if he wasn’t
in the field what would
have happened to him,”
added Dr. Clarke, alluding
to the second attack
on the twin towers of the
World Trade Center.
Veteran Caribbean legislator
Jamaican-born
Assemblyman Nick Perry,
who represents the 58th
Assembly District in
Brooklyn, said: “Two decades
ago seems like a long
time, but America has
not forgotten the tragedy
we all faced and the lives
that were lost in the terrible
attack on our beloved
city and nation.
“Each year as we join
the families who still
mourn and grieve their
loss, as Americans, we
remain committed to
our resolve that those
who attacked America
will pay,” he said. “And
we will fight as a great
nation with all our might
to protect our freedom
and spread our vision for
liberty and justice around
the world.
Brooklyn Council
Member Dr. Mathieu
Eugene said “the horrific
events of Sept. 11, 2001
will forever be ingrained
in our memories as an
unimaginable attack
against the principles of
freedom and liberty that
our country was founded
on.
“It was 20 years ago
that we watched helplessly
as thousands of people
from all nationalities,
religions and ethnicities
lost their lives in New
York, Washington, D.C,
and Pennsylvania,” said
Haitian-born Dr. Eugene,
who represents the 40th
Council District. “We
also witnessed incredible
acts of bravery and heroism
by first responders,
including the hundreds
who perished on that
awful day.
“This tragic moment
in history reminded us
that we are all human
beings, and we are all
part of the fabric of the
United States, no matter
our country of origin,” he
added. “Collectively, we
must support and comfort
one another in times
of sadness and anguish,
while working towards a
better future for our global
community.
“On the 20th anniversary
of Sept. 11, let us
pause and reflect on the
lives of those taken from
us, their grieving families
and friends, and the
legacies they left behind,”
Eugene urged. “As a city
and as a nation, we will
never forget.”
Eugene’s compatriot,
Rita Joseph, the Democratic
nominee to succeed
the term-limited
Eugene in the largely
40th Council District,
said she will never forget
where she was on Sept.
11, 2001.
Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke. Photo by Nelson
A. King
Joseph said she was in
her second year of teaching
at P.S. 6 in Brooklyn,
and was teaching a 5thgrade
class, along with
her co-teacher, only identified
as Mr. Jean.
“The principal, Ms.
Adams, (may she rest
in peace) made an
announcement over the
loudspeaker to request
that all teachers turn on
the televisions that were
in every classroom at
the time,” Joseph said.
“On that day, and in that
moment, none of us knew
what was happening, and
Mr. Jean and I turned on
the television, so our students
and I could watch.
“In hindsight, I really
wish we hadn’t done
that so our students
didn’t have to witness the
attack,” Joseph added.
“I distinctly remember
watching in horror as the
second plane hit the second
tower. I knew that
some of my students had
parents working at the
towers, so I instinctively
started making calls to
them.
“I made a number of
calls; but, to this day, one
stands out to me,” she
continued. “The father
of one of my students
worked at the Windows
of the World, a restaurant
located on the
top floor of the North
Tower of the World Trade
Center. I called him and
to my relief, he picked
up. The only reason he
wasn’t there that day was
because he had switched
his work schedule with
another co-worker, who
was unfortunately killed.
“When he told me how
he wasn’t at work because
he switched the work
schedule, my initial reaction
was joy, quickly followed
by dread,” Joseph
recalled. “I realized that
his survival meant someone
else likely died in his
place.”
She said she thinks of
“that dreadful day more
often than” she would
like, adding that, every
year, the P.S. 6 community
remembers those
who passed by taking a
moment of silence.
Caribbean Americans pols reflect on 20th
anniversary of 9/11 terrorist attacks
Councilmember Mathieu
Eugene. Photo
by Tangerine Clarke