Families of September 11, Inc.

Families of September 11, Inc.
Name	Families of September 11, Inc.
Formation	2001
Type	Non-profit advocacy group
Headquarters	New York City
Region served	United States
Leader title	Executive Director

Families of September 11, Inc. is a nonprofit advocacy organization formed by relatives of victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and aboard United Airlines Flight 93. The group emerged amid responses that included investigations such as the 9/11 Commission, legal actions like the Aviation and Transportation Security Act, and public inquiries paralleling disclosures in publications by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The Wall Street Journal. Its membership engaged with institutions including Al Qaeda, Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Commission on Terrorist Attacks upon the United States, and municipal entities such as New York City and Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

History and Formation

Families of September 11, Inc. formed in the aftermath of coordinated attacks involving American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77, and United Airlines Flight 93, drawing relatives linked to victims in Lower Manhattan, Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and The Pentagon. Founders organized alongside other collectives like World Trade Center Families for Proper Burial, September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, and associations connected to lawsuits referencing defendants in Bin Laden v. United States-era litigation. The group’s early convenings intersected with hearings before the U.S. Congress, briefings at City Hall (New York City), and meetings with officials from Department of Justice (United States), Department of Homeland Security, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Key moments in its formation coincided with media coverage by ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, and documentary projects by Ken Burns-affiliated producers.

Mission and Activities

The organization’s mission emphasized accountability, victim support, and policy reform, connecting with advocacy trends seen in groups like Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and American Civil Liberties Union. Activities included organizing delegations to testify before panels such as the 9/11 Commission Report hearings, coordinating with legal teams that invoked statutes like the Torture Victim Protection Act and interacting with actors in litigation practices at firms including Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, Cravath, Swaine & Moore, and Latham & Watkins. It collaborated with academic centers at Columbia University, New York University, Harvard Kennedy School, and museums such as the National September 11 Memorial & Museum for research, panels, and symposia. The group also worked with counselors certified by institutions like American Psychological Association and partnered on commemorative projects involving National September 11 Memorial, Trinity Church (Manhattan), and cultural responses in venues including Lincoln Center.

Membership and Structure

Membership comprised family members of deceased and injured victims, survivors from flights associated with Boston Logan International Airport, Dulles International Airport, and staff from Cantor Fitzgerald, Marsh & McLennan Companies, and Morgan Stanley. The organizational structure featured a board alongside advisory committees incorporating figures from New York State Assembly, United States Senate, Office of the Mayor of New York City, and municipal first responders connected to New York City Fire Department and New York City Police Department. Governance practices referenced nonprofit regulations under filings with the Internal Revenue Service and oversight frameworks akin to boards at Red Cross, United Way, and foundations like Ford Foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. Membership outreach included liaisons with international families affected by 2002 Bali bombings, 2004 Madrid train bombings, and advocacy networks linked to Families of the Disappeared movements.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

The group lobbied for legislative and regulatory changes interacting with measures such as the Homeland Security Act of 2002, amendments to aviation security codified after recommendations by Transportation Security Administration, and provisions influencing Victim Compensation Fund (September 11 Victim Compensation Fund). It engaged elected officials including George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg (mayor), and members of Congress like Chuck Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Jerrold Nadler to press for investigative transparency and survivor benefits. Its advocacy paralleled efforts by survivor groups during debates over policies shaped by reports from 9/11 Commission, the National Institute of Standards and Technology inquiry into the World Trade Center collapses, and legal outcomes related to Shoe Bomber-era security changes. The organization also coordinated with International Committee of the Red Cross on humanitarian precedent discussions and with think tanks such as Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations.

Legal Actions and Settlements

Members pursued civil litigation invoking defendants alleged to have ties to Al Qaeda financiers, coordinating with law firms pursuing claims informed by precedents like In re Terrorist Attacks on September 11, 2001. The organization supported plaintiffs in cases involving insurers including AIG and in settlements related to compensation managed through the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund of 2001 and later reauthorizations. It interfaced with federal litigation in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York and appellate matters before the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Legal strategies referenced tort claims, asset forfeiture proceedings involving entities investigated by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, and coordination with prosecutors from United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York.

Public Outreach and Commemoration

Public outreach included annual remembrance events at the National September 11 Memorial & Museum, vigils near Ground Zero (Manhattan), and partnerships with cultural institutions such as Museum of the City of New York, American Folk Art Museum, and broadcast partners like PBS, National Public Radio, and BBC News. The group participated in educational programs at schools administered by the New York City Department of Education and collaborated on oral histories archived by Library of Congress, New-York Historical Society, and university collections at Rutgers University and CUNY Graduate Center. Commemorations featured involvement from presidents including George W. Bush and Bill Clinton in public remarks, state ceremonies in New York State and Pennsylvania, and international memorials coordinated with embassies such as the Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington, D.C..

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City