KEMETIC MINDS — BREAKING NEWS
September 11, 2026
Americans commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks on Friday with memorial rituals at all three crash sites, remembering the nearly 3,000 people killed when al-Qaida hijackers seized four commercial jets [1][2].
Key Facts
- On Sept. 11, 2001, 19 al-Qaida hijackers took control of four jetliners: two were flown into the World Trade Center, one into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, killing nearly 3,000 people [2].
- The observance at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville featured two ceremonies at the Wall of Names: a morning reading of the names of the 40 passengers and crew members killed, with the Bells of Remembrance ringing in their honor, and a 1 p.m. ET program with keynote speakers including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, closing with a wreath-laying [2].
- President Donald Trump attended the Pentagon’s anniversary ceremony Friday, while former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Vice President JD Vance convened at the National Sept. 11 Memorial in New York [1].
- About half of U.S. adults remember 9/11 as the most historic event of their lifetime, according to a new poll cited in coverage of the anniversary [1].
- A commemoration display featured 2,977 lit drones recreating the outline of the Twin Towers [1].
At Ground Zero, Names Read Aloud and a New Tribute
The milestone anniversary brought wreath-laying, flag-flying, moments of silence, vigils, readings of victims’ names and volunteer projects [1]. At ground zero, a new tribute honored those who fell ill after the attacks [1].
Elsie Caldwell carried a photograph of her son, Kenny Caldwell, to the trade center to hear his name and all the others read aloud Friday morning [1]. She last spoke to him a quarter-century ago that morning.
“Mom, I just want to let you know that I love you,” Caldwell said he told her in a final phone call, according to his mother [1]. She is one of many relatives of victims whose remains never were recovered [1].
For Angilic Casalduc, attending the New York commemoration “helps to show you’re not alone” [1]. She lost her mother, Vivian Casalduc.
Casalduc said there is “no timeline for grief,” and that no one can say how a person should grieve [1]. For families like hers and Caldwell’s, Friday’s readings are one of the few public rituals left that carry a name forward.
Trump at the Pentagon; Former Presidents in New York
The attacks brought down the World Trade Center’s twin towers, icons of U.S. economic power, and blew a hole in the Pentagon, the U.S. military’s headquarters near Washington [1]. The fourth plane was headed for the nation’s capital, officials concluded, but went down in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew members stormed the cockpit and fought the hijackers [1].
Trump, who was in his native New York on Sept. 11, 2001, and has often recounted his memories of the day, spoke at a 9/11 remembrance in Washington earlier this week [1].
“In the course of history, there are a few moments that divide time into, really, what came before” and after, Trump said [1]. Other administration officials went to the Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania [1].
Former President Bush, who was in office on 9/11, and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice reflected on the attacks after 25 years in remarks carried with coverage of the observance [1].
After both Shanksville ceremonies, the Wall of Names was scheduled to open to the public [2]. Ceremonies were also being held at 9/11 memorials across the United States [2].
What’s Still Unconfirmed
Both source reports were published as live coverage of Friday’s observances while the ceremonies were still underway, so the full programs — including complete speaker lists and closing remarks at the New York and Pennsylvania sites — were not yet available at publication time [1][2]. No details of the anniversary events described in the sourcing are disputed between the two accounts.
Black Excellence This Week
The hard news is real, and so is this. Wins reported by the Black press in the last 14 days:
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What You Can Do This Week
Not just bad news — here is where to push.
- Call your U.S. representative to demand permanent funding for the World Trade Center Health Program before it expires. — Find your U.S. representative
- Attend your city council meeting to press for 9/11 memorial upkeep and local first-responder mental health funding. — Attend your city council meeting (USA.gov local officials)
- Call or text 988 if this anniversary resurfaces grief, and request a counselor trained in disaster trauma. — 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
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- KCCI. (2026, September 11). LIVE: US marks 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks. kcci.com ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f ↩g ↩h ↩i ↩j ↩k ↩l ↩m ↩n ↩o ↩p ↩q ↩r
- wxii12.com. (2026, September 11). Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania marks 25 years since 9/11 attacks. wxii12.com ↩a ↩b ↩c ↩d ↩e ↩f
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