Under the baobab: Commemorating 9/11 remains important 24 years later
“I saw the sunrise on September 11th from the top of the world.”
Many have no memory of the events of September 11, 2001. Some were not yet born. Some of us were profoundly transformed by them. Our lives’ chronology is divided into before 9/11 and after 9/11.
On Sept. 11, 2001 at 8:46 a.m. an American Airlines plane crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City. Seventeen minutes later, at 9:03 a.m., United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. The impact caused both towers to collapse. At 9:37 a.m. an American Airlines flight crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Thirty minutes later, United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, when the passengers tried to wrestle control back from hijackers. It is believed the terrorists had targeted the U.S. Capitol or the White House.
Almost 3,000 people were killed during these attacks. Thousands more were injured. Later many more suffered and died from chronic conditions such as cancer, respiratory illness and PTSD.
That day, I was in New Jersey filming the TV series “Ed.” Earlier that morning, the cast and crew were picked up in lower Manhattan not far from the WTC. We had just finished filming the first scene and were about to do the reversals when the first plane crashed into the North Tower. A Spanish language station was the only one still operational.
Everyone crowded around the security guards’ 20-inch TV. We watched in horror as the second plane hit. In that moment we knew our lives would never be the same.
The emergency workers at ground zero used our production lights, so it was several days before we could return to filming. We couldn’t return to New York. The bridges were closed. The producers put everybody up in New Jersey hotels. I decided to drive back to State College to be with my family, but not before driving to the George Washington bridge. The smoldering remains of the WTC were plainly visible.
It was like the city had lost its teeth.
The following year I was on a Fulbright Fellowship in South Africa. People in Capetown did not understand the full impact of the 9/11 attacks. I wrote a play, “9/11 — A Day in the Life of A People” to share the feelings of ordinary Americans. The U.S. Consulate General sponsored the performance for the diplomatic community and others. It was well received, especially by Capetown firefighters.
We returned to the states the following year. We presented “Day in the Life” at the new Penn State Downtown Theater on Allen Street with students, faculty and community members performing. It was the first play produced in that venue. We performed the play for the next 15 years on the anniversary of 9/11. On the 10th anniversary the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia premiered the play. It was also part of the Philly Theatre Fringe Festival.
After each performance we hosted an audience discussion: “What were you doing on 9/11/2001?” Over the years the audiences got younger; the responses got fewer. Interest in 9/11 waned. The country had other concerns. Our last performance was just before the COVID epidemic.
In the community
Hundreds visited LION Bash, which had a record 170 exhibitors this year in downtown State College. The State College Spikes made it to the championship game against the West Virginia Black Bears.
Next year will be the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States. There is much about our history we should celebrate and some we should commemorate. On Thursday, Sept. 11, the School of Theatre will sponsor an hourlong reading of “9/11 — A Day in the Life of A People” at the Penn State Downtown Theatre at 6 p.m. Tickets are not required. Admission is free. So are we, Sisters and Brothers.
Charles Dumas is a lifelong political activist, a professor emeritus from Penn State, and was the Democratic Party’s nominee for the U.S. Congress in 2012. He is a Lions Paw honoree. He lives in State College with his wife and partner of over 50 years.