“There’s traveling I’ve held back on because of 9/11. I have family in Egypt that I want to visit, but I’ve never been.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Roshan Abraham, 25, Engineer
“I get stopped and searched on the subway [by the police] a lot because I’m Indian. It’s pretty annoying. I know the routine now, I’m like, ‘Hey guys, how’s it going, it’s me again.’ ”
Correction, Sept. 7, 2011: This caption originally misidentified Roshan Abraham as Akbor Abraham.
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Toyin Joseph, 24, Artist
“I’ve never flown on an airplane since 9/11. I’m still scared. I came to this country on an airplane from Portugal when I was 6, and I’ve never been on a plane since.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Chao Fang, 27, Freelancer
“I live in Beijing and after 9/11 the government was concerned about terrorism in China, so in order to go on trains and subways you have to pass your bags through a screening machine. Nothing like a terrorist attack has happened in Beijing as far as I know. When I got [to New York City], it kind of scared me that people didn’t have to do that on subways, they could just walk on with a bag. But I’ve been here a month now, and I’m feeling much more relaxed about it.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Joyce Keller, 50, Computer Programmer
“My office was in the World Trade Center on 9/11. We moved to midtown [after the attacks], and I live in Jersey City now and work from home a lot. I definitely think twice about getting on subways and I avoid travel on holidays. I don’t like the snipers on the buildings in Times Square on New Years Eve. I’m still with the same company, but it’s changed. People are much more spread out, and groups work in a decentralized way. I think that’s so if something ever happens again, the company can still function.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Luis Worrell, 45, Interior Decorator
“I think I pay more attention when I’m in large venues or high-traffic areas. I try to live my life as normally as possible, because that is the only way to not be afraid.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Kristi Head, 34, Art Director
“Frankly, I’m more concerned about the weirdoes and freaks on the subway than I am about someone blowing it up. I think everyday life is scarier.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Jessica Rosner, 28, Teacher
“I teach seventh grade at a school on the Lower East Side. My students were 2 when it happened, and many were [personally] affected by it. I’m going to teach about [9/11] this fall. I see my job as honoring the memory of those who died and educating my students about it. But I feel safe living here.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Carlos Muniz, 49, Interior Painter
“I am more concerned about trains and transit, but I’ve put [9/11] in the past. Now I go about my normal life.”
Photograph by Isabel Slepoy /CREDIT: Slate.
Ruth McCullough, 60, Psychotherapist
“I lived in [Lower Manhattan] in a roped-off area, where we had to wear masks and have passes to get in and out of our own neighborhood. I think I have a more heightened awareness to my surroundings, whether I’m in New York or Aruba, which is actually a good feeling, to be more aware.”
