BMCC Commemorates 20-Year Anniversary of 9/11

September 3, 2021

On Thursday, September 9 from 2 to 4 p.m. at 199 Chambers Street, NYC 10007, CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and Borough of Manhattan Community College, CUNY (BMCC/CUNY) President Anthony Munroe will place a wreath at the plaque honoring the eight BMCC community members who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Two BMCC Vice Presidents, Erwin Wong and Marva Craig, both of whom were at BMCC the year of 9/11 and have shaped the direction of the college since then, will also speak at the wreath ceremony. This in-person, by-invitation event is part of a program of events commemorating the 20-year anniversary of 9/11.

Other events are virtual and include a reading and discussion by professor/poets Cheryl J. Fish and Marguerite Maria Rivas, who have written 9/11-themed books; a video and discussion on the impact of 9/11 on policing and first responders’ health with Professor Jason Ostrowe; the screening of a BMCC-produced video featuring new footage of interviews with individuals who were part of the BMCC community on September 11, 2001 and others.

“This year marks the 20th anniversary of the attacks of September 11, 2001. Many college students were not yet born on that day — but in the weeks, months and years that followed, their families and neighborhoods felt the impact of those attacks,” said President Munroe. “We have all heard the stories of that day, the way communities came together to support each other as ashes drifted across the East River to Brooklyn, and uptown to Harlem. BMCC is an important part of that story.”

While colleges across New York City lost community members in the attacks, BMCC is the only college in the U.S. to have lost a building to a terrorist attack. Seven World Trade burned all day after the Towers fell, then collapsed against BMCC’s Fiterman Hall, which was razed and rebuilt.

Here is a complete list of the 9/11 commemorative events.

About BMCC

Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC) is part of the City University of New York (CUNY), awarding associate degrees in more than 50 fields and ranked #5 among community colleges nationwide in granting associate degrees to minority students, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education. BMCC is a diverse teaching and learning community committed to advancing equity and the intellectual and personal growth of students. Working to strengthen a culture of care inside and outside the classroom, the faculty and staff of BMCC share a passion for learning with students from around the world, and strive to increase degree completion, successful transfer, career achievement and service and leadership within the BMCC community, New York City, and beyond. Visit: https://www.bmcc.cuny.edu.

The 9/11 commemorative events highlighted in this BMCC News story relate to BMCC’s Strategic Goals, including Goal 6. Read the BMCC Strategic Plan 2020-2025 to learn about college-wide initiatives, priorities and goals.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

  • BMCC is hosting events to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of 9/11, including a by-invitation, in-person event at which CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez and BMCC President Anthony Munroe will place a wreath at the plaque honoring the eight BMCC community members who lost their lives in the attacks of September 11, 2001.
  • Other events include a reading and discussion by professor/poets Cheryl J. Fish and Marguerite Maria Rivas; a video and discussion by Professor Jason Ostrowe;  the screening of a BMCC-produced video and others.
  • Here is a complete list of the 9/11 commemorative events.

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