Dear Friends and Colleagues,
On this day, I pause with the rest of the nation to remember and reflect.
As a New Yorker, the memories of September 11, 2001 remain vivid. I remember exactly where I was — on my way to the Twin Towers. However, as my taxi was making its way from Brooklyn to lower Manhattan, we were delayed. When we finally made our way to the Brooklyn Bridge, we heard the unthinkable. With razor-sharp precision, my driver made a quick exit and then got right back on the bridge to deliver me safely home. The day was suddenly different. Everything was.
At the time, I had just joined the American Folk Art Museum, working to help bring its new home at 49 West 53rd Street to life. My focus was on developing the special events strategy for the new building — a role I was intensely proud of.
Like so many others that day, I was heading into a job that celebrated creativity, community, and culture. That morning, the city’s rhythm came to a halt, but its heart remained.
So many lives were lost, and so many others changed forever. Today, I hold space for the families who carry that weight every single day.
We remember. We honor.
We will never forget.
Monique
