On the morning of September 11, 2001, sixteen schoolchildren sat in a Florida classroom, eagerly awaiting the arrival of President George W. Bush. These students, aged between 6 and 7, were some of the best readers at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School – one of the top performing schools in its district and a beneficiary of the No Child Left Behind Act. They listened attentively as President Bush joined their teacher at the front of the room, sitting down with a colorfully-illustrated book to read them a story. Then, the unthinkable happened: White House Chief of Staff Andy Card approached and whispered in the President’s ear, delivering news that would shake the nation to its core.
9/11 Kids is the untold story of the children in the room when the President learned of the most devastating terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Though largely unaware at the time, these children were nearing their last moments of innocence before the world around them would change forever. Twenty years later, they are all well into their mid-20s and navigating life in a post-9/11 America – a generation shaped by acts of terror and global crises constantly looming in their newsfeed. In many ways, they bear witness to a shift in the American experience, representing the nation’s hopes, fears, and dreams for the future.
Where are they now? How did that fateful morning affect their lives to come? And what are their aspirations for moving the country forward?
Meet this remarkable group of Americans when 9/11Kids airs September 9 at 8 p.m. on WSBE Rhode Island PBS.
WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits over the air in high definition on digital 36.1; Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, and Full Channel 08; Comcast 819HD and Verizon FiOS 18 / 518HD in MA; DirecTV 36, Dish Network 36. Live stream the full broadcast schedule at watch.ripbs.org/livestream.
