Teaching our children the lessons of 9/11

Assemblyman Matt Slater

In Yorktown and across the Hudson Valley, reminders of September 11th are never far away.

Many families here lost loved ones. Many more had neighbors, friends or co-workers whose lives were forever changed. As we approach another anniversary of that tragic day, we must recommit ourselves to making sure our children truly understand its impact.

As a father of two elementary-aged children, this weighs on me personally. My kids are growing up in a world where 9/11 is history they never lived through. For them, it won’t be about memory, but about what we teach. That’s why I want them — and every student in our community — to know the names and stories of heroes like FDNY firefighter Joseph Spor Jr. of Somers, who gave his life at the World Trade Center. His courage, and the sacrifices of so many others, must never fade into the background.

Last year, our community welcomed the Tunnel to Towers Mobile Museum. Hundreds of Yorktown students, parents and teachers walked through exhibits that brought the reality of 9/11 to life — from twisted steel recovered at Ground Zero to first-hand survivor accounts. I saw the powerful effect it had on our young people. It was a reminder that history resonates most when it is made personal and tangible.

While the State Education Department provides guidance on teaching about September 11th, I believe this is so profound an event for New Yorkers that it deserves the force of state law — just as we have done with Holocaust education. That’s why I introduced legislation (A.7919) to make sure 9/11 instruction is required, consistent and lasting.

This is not about politics. On September 11th, party lines didn’t matter. We stood shoulder to shoulder in grief and determination. In that same spirit, Republicans and Democrats alike should unite behind the cause of preserving these lessons for the next generation.

Our community knows what it means to say Never Forget. Let’s make sure our children carry that forward.

Assemblyman Matt Slater represents the 94th Assembly District, which includes parts of Putnam and Westchester counties, including the towns of Kent, Patterson, Putnam Valley, Carmel, Southeast, Somers and Yorktown, as well as the village of Brewster.