Reflecting on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, I wanted to share a message I sent to my team reflecting on this day that changed our city and nation forever.

Team,

As you know, this year marks the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, and it feels just as fresh as it did during each of the previous anniversaries. It isn't hard to remember every detail of what started as a beautiful Tuesday morning in September. I was the VP of Strategic Planning at Saks, and our office was on 49th Street and 5th Avenue, across the street from the flagship. When the news came out, our work stopped. By the time the second plane hit the World Trade Center, our world changed forever.?

Neither of my children were born at the time, so they frequently ask me what that day was like. We’ve spoken about it a lot over the last year and a half; them desperate for comparisons to the fear and challenges of the early days of the pandemic, and me desperate not to compare them. However, if I’m being honest, the collective fear when the world stopped 18 months ago brought me back to September 11, 2001, as I walked home from "sheltering in place" to the sound of F-16 fighter jets overhead, warships in New York Harbor, a Gatling Gun Humvee stationed on the corner, and the feeling that our world would never be the same.

Those are all memories from that tragic and frightening day 20 years ago. The city has changed so much since that time, and it's hard to identify the turning point from fear to rebuilding. When I think back now, it feels like it was instantaneous but it wasn't -- it was iterative. For months you'd walk through Manhattan and see reminders. You'd hear the fire trucks racing downtown to help search, in the beginning for survivors, but as the days went on, just for closure. For months you'd see pictures of loved ones taped to hoarding boards and phone booths (we still had those), who for a brief time, were possibly just missing and not gone forever.?

Through it all, the city came together. New Yorkers (my wife included) volunteered at Ground Zero to hand out water and towels to the rescue workers and first responders. Our governor, mayor and president walked through the area, together, comforting those who needed it. They spoke to the city, to the country, together. They put their respective political beliefs aside and focused on one mission: rebuilding the spirit of our city. You see, what we learned in the years that followed is that New York City needs our love - unconditionally. We can hate hot days in the summer and cold days in the winter, or the taxes, or the high rent or the delayed subways. But we have to love our city, because there's nowhere better.

Fast forward nearly 15 years later, when we moved our office to Brookfield Place to invest in our future and gain a better, more collaborative work environment. I must say, I was hesitant. I visited in early 2014, when they were building the 9/11 Memorial and One World Trade. Flood lights still lit the construction zone. It felt cold and empty. I was concerned it would be too hard for the team to peer down from our offices to the Memorial. As I look back now, I've never been more wrong. It is perfect for us to be down here. This city thrives on people and the energy that we bring to it every day. Just like 20 years ago, now is the time for us to bring this city back to life by returning to our lives here. To further support the continued growth of lower Manhattan, Saks is proud to donate $1 million to the Perelman Performing Arts Center.?With this donation, we are investing in the next 20 years of lower Manhattan - and the power of the arts to unite us.

Most days I run from the office up the Hudson River and then turn around, so the last four miles I’m staring at One World Trade. I'll admit, for four years it was just a nice view. But this past summer, those last few miles, staring at that building, was cathartic. It was powerful. I realized on that first run after returning to the city in June 2020 that if we could unite, overcome and rebuild our city after 9/11 -- albeit with a new lens -- then we can all come together and do it again.?

My thoughts remain with the victims - both in New York and around the country - who lost their lives 20 years ago, with their families who remember like it was yesterday, and with those who are still struggling with the aftermath. If you feel inspired, I invite you to donate to the Never Forget Fund,?which aims to support educational programming for students, educators and others to understand more deeply the history of September 11 and how it shaped the world.

Sincerely,

Marc

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