The families of 9/11

The families of 9/11

by Editorial Board
The Boston Globe
09/11/2004

Today is the third anniversary of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, a day for remembering those who were lost and -- thanks in great part to the 9/11 families -- a day for recommitting to action.

A recent New York Times survey of family members who lost loved ones at the World Trade Center reveals the lasting personal aftermath of grief. Many people have trouble sleeping. Some visit Ground Zero. Others do not. Parents still cry over a lost son who was a firefighter. A mother who lost her daughter doesn't go to Manhattan anymore. A widow left New York and moved to Florida.

The nation has had to relive that day: hearing tapes of responding emergency personnel; seeing images of the exploding and collapsing towers; reviewing glaring security failures. Making the country safer has become a daily struggle to increase security without trampling on civil rights.

And New York, that well-lit city that never sleeps, has had to find its legs again, to live among the ashes without being subdued by them, to bear its scars without diminishing its towering spirit.

Fortunately, as the country remembers and grieves and moves on, the families remind the world again and again that one antidote to catastrophe is action.

Grief has forged some family members into fierce advocates who are fueled by the desire to see the country respond to terrorism in wiser, more vigilant, and more humane ways.

Families pushed for the formation of the 9/11 commission despite hesitation in Congress and President Bush's initial opposition and reluctant cooperation. Families pushed the commission to dig deeply as it worked.

And the families remain, pushing the government to take real action on its recommendations.

Organizations formed by 9/11 families also work locally, encouraging schools to be sensitive to difficulties that returning students may face; pressing for overhauls of safety procedures in skyscrapers; promoting awareness of public trauma as a mental health issue; and publicizing resources for those who seek psychological help.

One organization, Families of September 11, is a cosponsor of "Hope not Hate," a series of town hall meetings to be held this month and next in 20 states on the relationship between the United States and the Islamic world. The series should be a victory of knowledge and inquiry over fear and blind pledges of revenge.

This is public pressure at its noble best, able to cut through the haze of politics, inertia, and fear. Family members have made themselves heard over the usual Washington din of lobbyists and power brokers. And in a move that benefits everyone, they are holding the nation's leaders to the highest standards.

The work of the families of 9/11 helps turn this tragic anniversary into a day of promise.