Over two decades passed since Sept. 11, but the Boston community remains the same

By Chloe Adams

Sept. 11, 2024

A momentary silence engulfed a crowd lining the front gates of the Massachusetts Statehouse Wednesday at 8:46 a.m., honoring victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.

That same time 23 years ago, the first 9/11 plane originating from Boston Logan International Airport struck the World Trade Center in New York.

The nearly 3,000 victims killed in the tragedy were honored during the annual commemoration in Boston — the city where two of four hijacked airplanes departed from.

While the ceremony moved into the House Chamber, one man held an American flag over his chest as he followed elected officials inside.

“We learned how to survive baby step by baby step,” said Teresa Mathai, a widow and mother of two whose husband died in 9/11 without a will.

Mathai said the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund, a non-profit corporation supporting families connected to the attacks, provided her with resources as she navigated survival without her late spouse.

From taking turns packing school lunches to alternating carpooling shifts, community members reciprocated mutual support for one another, she said.

Mathai said Simon Verghese, a family friend, became readily available to her family when they first adjusted to the sudden loss. 

When Mathai’s children needed a babysitter after their father’s death, Verghese never hesitated to rush over, she said. 

This year, Mathai said she celebrated 11 years of marriage with Verghese.

One woman sitting in the chamber clapped before placing her hand over her chest and another nodded while smiling at the attendee beside her.

House Speaker Pro Tempore Kate Hogan, a Democrat from Stow, Massachusetts, said families of victims were not the only ones who felt the impact of 9/11.

“The enormity of the attack, and the loss on Sept. 11 affected us all: It changed how we understand our place in the world,” said Hogan.

American Airlines flight attendant Barbara Bowen said 9/11 caused aviation industry workers to view the risks and responsibilities of their duties differently — the possibility that they too might have to be life-saving heroes someday. 

“We no longer go to work and think that it’s just an ordinary day,” said Bowen in a video presented during the ceremony.

After more than two decades since al-Qaeda’s terrorism, Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll awarded Jillian Smith, a woman from Wales, Massachusetts, with the annual civilian bravery award. The award honors 9/11 American Airlines flight attendant Madeline Amy Sweeney who informed Logan officials of the terrorists’ advances during one of the hijackings, said Healey.

Smith thought of her baby and family as she ran into a house fire twice to save her elderly neighbors last December but “would do it all again in a heartbeat,” she said.

Smith shook hands with elected officials before stepping off the podium during a prolonged applause heard throughout the chamber.

“Good wins out when we rely on our bonds with one another,” Healey said. “The strength of our community gets us through even the worst of times.”