Overview to Social Change Interview: 

I interviewed Riva Waller (RW) who worked in finance in New York City for over twenty years about social change and September 11, 2001. R. W. has a unique first-hand experience with 9/11 since she worked in the second tower hit on September 11th and was lucky enough to escape. She recounts her entire day and the impacts she still deals with today. This story is important especially to younger generations who may not have been alive before September 11th, 2001.

The main theme of my interview with my mother was the day of September 11th. Our main themes were how the day started off as a beautiful calm day but then changed to chaotic and life-changing. Her experience is supported by this account of it: “On September 11, 2001, at 8:45 a.m. on a clear Tuesday morning, an American Airlines Boeing 767 loaded with 20,000 gallons of jet fuel crashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center in New York City” (Angerer). One point that really stood out to me during the interview was the lack of communication. This is hard to imagine in today’s times with so many virtual connections. The theme of generational change I think is very fitting because the world as a whole changed. Security everywhere was increased, especially in airports. 

“September 11 Attacks.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/event/September-11-attacks. 

“9/11 Faqs.” National September 11 Memorial & Museum, https://www.911memorial.org/911-faqs. 

“The Lessons Learned for U.S. National Security Policy in …” The Lessons Learned for U.S. National Security Policy in the 20 Years Since 9/11, https://www.americanprogress.org/article/lessons-learned-u-s-national-security-policy-20-years-since-911/.

MW 0:00
Hi. So today I am interviewing my mother Riva Waller regarding her firsthand experience during the September 11 terrorist attack. My mother worked in the World Trade Center complex and was at work the morning of the attack. Okay, so describe your day before the attacks.

RW 0:18
So what stands out most in my mind is that September 11, was the most incredibly beautiful morning. And every morning, I would take the ferry from Hoboken over to the World Financial Center, and then walk the rest of the way to my building. And it was such a great commute. And it was just like five minutes of just pure joy, because we were out on the ferry boat. And I remember specifically, that morning, being rushed, and tired, but like standing there on the deck of the ferry, and just being like, wow, it is like such a perfect day. And I felt like everybody around me sort of, sort of felt the same thing. And, and then like, every other day, the ferry pulled up, we just got off and just, you know, walked as fast as we could to get to get to the building. It was it was just another day, like all other days.

MW 1:25
So how did your life change after the attacks, I guess, like personally, and then also at your job.

RW 1:32
So I think, for me and the other people who were who, who, you know, were in the New York City area, there was like a short term change, and then a long term change. And immediately after the attacks, the next day, and for about the next two weeks, life, absolutely just stopped. We didn’t go to work. We really didn’t have a lot of phone service. Everything was really, really different. It was a bad feeling that was looming over everybody. And, for example, where I lived in Hoboken, everywhere you looked, there was the smoldering fires coming from downtown. And it was a constant reminder, we couldn’t go back to the office. The whole area, obviously was off limits. And and I just remember, like nothing mattered, work didn’t matter. And seeing people didn’t matter. And we were kind of all walking around in a daze.

MW 2:51
So I wasn’t alive before 911 happened. So I’m used to all of the increased security. But what, like, what are the changes that you’ve seen after 911 in like, buildings and in the airports?

RW 3:04
Well, firstly, the first thing that every building really ramped up their security. Everybody had checkpoints to go through the more, I guess, famous buildings, you had to actually send your bags through security, much like you have to do at an airport. But there were guards at every building, all the time, doors were locked, everybody needed certain passes to get in and out, showing your ID that that was number one, it was just entering and getting in and out of office buildings was very tightly controlled. And the other thing that stood out to me, not necessarily security, but also really important was every company was issuing started issuing their employees, like a survival pack. And so everybody got like a backpack. And depending on the company, it had different things in it. But stuff like mask, bottles of water, a whistle, flashlight, you know, things like that, God forbid anything ever happened again. You know, people were supposed to keep that that that pack by your desk at all times? Yep.

MW 4:27
So it seems like everyone can like remember where they were when the attacks happened, but you have a unique perspective since you were actually there. So what was it like being in the building when it was happening?

RW 4:39
So I was working in two World Financial Center, and it is attached the World Financial Center is attached to the World Trade Center by a causeway a walkway. And I got to work early. I usually got to work around 8am In the morning, and I just remember I’m sitting at my desk, and getting ready to work and starting to check emails. And all of a sudden, we heard this, this strange whistle, like an was coming from outside, something that we never heard before. And it was just really eerie. And I remember some, a couple people were walking by my office, and we stopped and stared at each other. And we both turned around to stare outside. And at that minute, there was a loud crash, and the whole building shut. And it sounded like the loudest deepest thunder, like the way a thunder sounds in the summertime, that was the noise like this big crack, and the whole building shock. And everybody was like, What the heck. And all of a sudden all around us, was just like, out the windows was debris everywhere. And then people just started screaming, get the hell out, get the hell out of here, get the hell out of this building. And I just remember being so scared. And just grabbing my knapsack which you know, I used as like my work bag at the time, and just flying out of the office. And I had no idea. We never had fire drills. We never talked about emergency escapes. And I just remember following every [?] I worked in a huge office. We were on the ninth floor. And I just remember following everybody to like the nearest exit. And we all just started running down the stairwell. My heart was racing, people were crying. And everybody just wanted to get down the stairs as fast as possible. We had, oh, I remember this specifically, there was a woman in my office on crutches. And two of the guys were carrying her down and carrying her bags. I mean, it was like really chaotic. Nobody had any idea what was going on. When we got outside, we got somebody had told us later on that we got downstairs and 11 minutes. Since the plane hit the building, we had no idea plane hit the building. And when we we got outside, we were the the exit ladders to right under one world trade. And when we looked up, you could see the fire in the top of the building, There was debris flying everywhere. And the first firemen on the scenes were yelling at us to go back inside where we had come from because that building was secure, and to go out a different exit into way by the marina. And as we were doing that everybody was staring up and people have friends and relatives that worked up in those towers. And people were screaming and crying. But more people were coming in from the subways and coming up. And they weren’t allowed into the buildings, they were being led outside. So the crowd it was getting more and more crowded as people were sort of like coming downtown and realize that they couldn’t work.

MW 8:13
So how, how did the lack of like cell phone usage contribute to the chaos with like, calling friends and family to make sure that like you’re okay, and to make sure your friends were okay.

RW 8:23
Nobody’s cell phones worked and and basically, everyone was just too panicked, to tell, to be honest, to even think about it. When we were standing there when the second plane hit, and people just ran, but not being able to contact anybody was really hard because you just felt completely cut off from everybody. And nobody could call in. So it was really awful. And the end, the TV was basically our only like window into what was actually happening out there. So if you once you got home, that was like your only way to like figure it out.

MW 9:09
And then just to wrap it up. What is it like when the anniversary of September 11th comes up every year? And then do you think they do a good job of like remembering the victims and also just like the event itself?

RW 9:23
Every year when the anniversary comes up? I just feel really, really just really sad. And to be honest, I feel like it never it’s hard to imagine that it happened. I mean, it’s a blur to me it still is a blur to me. I think that New York does an amazing job of remembering 911 I think they the media does a great job here in the New York area. Every town has a service and like a memorial and it’s really important And to all the families here. I don’t know anybody that wasn’t affected. I don’t know anyone who didn’t have a family member, a neighbor, a friend, a colleague are like a classmate that didn’t that, you know, that wasn’t killed. So it’s it’s it’s something that makes me sad and all I want it all. All I want to focus on is never ever forgetting all these just people that were just like me. They just woke up and went to work. And that was that.

MW 10:33
Yeah, so like you said, it’s really important to like, share your story, especially since you were there and to make people like never forget. So I just want to thank you for your time. And

Unknown Speaker 10:43
yeah, thanks

Transcribed by https://otter.ai