Virtual 9/11 Remembrance Promotes Unity

A virtual 9/11 remembrance event aims to bring Americans together as they remember the fallen. The “9/11 State of Mind” event starts on September 10 with music and memories of 9/11. On September 11, there will be a live concert from Nashville, Tennessee.

Area native, journalist MJ Brickey, who will take part in the event, said, “The September 11 event will be held in Nashville this year due to the restraints that COVID19 has put on festivities usually held in New York City.”

There will also be a flag ceremony. According to Ms. Brickey, “The iconic American flag dubbed the ‘Ground Zero volunteer Flag’ will be hoisted during a flag ceremony by the Nashville Fire Department.”

The event is free but donations are accepted to aid the 9/11 Remembered Traveling Memorial and Together For The Good. Working Together For The Good is an organization focusing on helping veterans deal with the effects of PTSD.  September 10 is Suicide Awareness Day. According to the organization, suicide rates are up 600% since the start of the COIVD-19 Pandemic.

Among the performers taking part in the live concert are Johnny Cash’s grandson Thomas Gabriel and Saving Able. Also participating:

MJ Brickey will also give a live performance at the event and she’s excited, “I hope this also brings pride to the river towns of Portsmouth and West Portsmouth,” Brickey said. “Both are side-by-side nestled in the Appalachian foothills in Scioto County, Ohio, where I was born and consider my true home.”

Brickey has addressed the 9/11 tragedy during her career as a reporter. She received top honors nationally by the National Newspaper Association and the Associated Press for investigative journalism and for the best serious column for her 9/11 piece “Re-living The Loss.”  She’s also the co-author of the book “Max Impact.”

She said this event serves to remind Americans how we came together as a country after the tragedy of 9/11. “Which is what we need now more than ever.”

The event will air on various channels and platforms throughout the country. For more details about the 9/11 State of Mind event, visit  911stateofmind.com.