Renewing Our American Dream after 9/11

“Tribute is the connective tissue that binds us together no matter what language we speak, where we were born, or how we mourn that day. The names and faces on the walls of the Tribute Center, and the names and faces of their families walking in the galleries, come from every corner of the map, reminding us that the World Trade Center attacks were not just on the citizens of New York, but on the citizens of the world.”
~Debra Steinberg, senior partner at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, helped coordinate the 9/11 Project

Renewing Our American Dream after 9/11 explores how the dreams of many in our immigrant communities were challenged and transformed by the events of 9/11.

Historically, America has been built upon the ambitions of newcomers who have arrived at New York City’s shores to work toward achieving their own personal American Dream. This exhibit shares the experiences of 12 people, (clean-up workers, family members who lost loved ones, community leaders, educators, and students) in their own voices and images.

Although some immigrant communities experienced loss of employment, isolation and discrimination, many also experienced the generosity of other Americans rushing in to protect those they knew might be targets, guarding schools and community centers, establishing interfaith dialogues, and providing legal counsel to help people navigate workers rights and family benefits. People in immigrant communities realized that not only did they need to band together to become more civically engaged with government agencies in the wake of the attacks, they also needed to become more unified internally to work towards common goals. “After 9/11 the community came together to advocate for itself. Everyone really felt the aftermath of factories and restaurants closing down. We had to come together to present ourselves to government funders. We learned about navigating NY politics,” commented Cynthia Lee of the Museum of Chinese in America.

Inspirational and sometimes heartbreaking stories of the ongoing growth and transformation of many immigrant communities are found in this exhibit. “The challenge of 9/11 is to think about, ‘How do we have proactive responses? What can we do to work for peace on a global level?’” emphasized Sarah Sayeed, Program Associate of The Interfaith Center of New York. The exhibit culminates in understanding the American Dream as a global dream and features projects that reach beyond our borders sharing resources with others around the world.

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