Twenty years ago, the Stuyvesant High School community found itself frighteningly near the epicenter of the World Trade Center attacks, and the students, faculty, and staff there that day would never be the same, their sense of safety shaken forever.
English teacher Annie Thoms ‘93 worked with students on with their eyes, a play made up of interview-based monologues published a year later as a book, to share collective experiences from the day. Lila Nordstrom ’02 created Stuy Health, an advocacy group representing former students who were in lower Manhattan during 9/11, a journey which led to her testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on behalf of those eligible for the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. Lila’s new book Some Kids Left Behind: A Survivor’s Fight for Health Care in the Wake of 9/11 and a commemorative re-issue of with their eyes: September 11th–the view from a high school at ground zero, have been published to coincide with the 20th anniversary.
Stuyvesant High School and the Stuyvesant Alumni Association are proud to co-host this virtual community discussion on Stuyvesant community experiences during and since the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, and how they parallel the Covid-19 pandemic in terms of racial profiling, mental health and safety, and the lessons and coping methods learned since.
In addition to a discussion with Annie Thoms and Lila Nordstrom, three alumni – seniors at the time of the attacks and participants in the original production of with their eyes – will read from the published monologues. Current students will also have a chance to share their own more recent experiences with the Covid-19 pandemic to examine parallels between both “disaster communities.”
Monologues will be read by Liz O’Callahan ‘02 and Mohammad Haque ‘02, with participation by Ilya Feldsherov ‘02.
This event will be held on Wednesday, September 8th at 7:00pm ET. The Zoom link will be shared after registering.
All alumni, current students, family, and friends of Stuyvesant are invited to participate. This event is free, but you must register in advance.
