Celebrities Remember 9/11

The events of September 11th, 2001 will forever live on in our lives.

We have so many stories to tell about that fateful morning. Here are how a few celebrities remember it.

Michael Ealy
“I was in my New York, in my apartment getting ready for a breakfast meeting with my manager and a casting director. I remember it all. I remember all the images that were on TV as well as the local gas station having a line that was so long it extended out the door and beyond the actual station property. People were trying to get gas and get off the island of Manhattan but the bridges were jammed. I remember not being able to account for all my friends via cell phone. While visiting my ex girlfriend in midtown, I saw Times Square later that night so empty that I could literally count three people.

I learned that America was vulnerable in ways we could not comprehend and like almost everyone else, I knew then that this country would never be the same. I also witnessed the resilience and camaraderie in New Yorkers during a time of extreme adversity. There was no difference in class or race at that time. All of us were EQUALLY devastated and a humbled humanity reigned supreme.” –As told to ESSENCE.com.

Laz Alonzo
I was on the C train under the World Trade Center when the first plane hit. We weren’t wondering why the train was held up since New York trains always stop for up to an hour at times, but we knew something was wrong. All these people were crying on the platform. Finally, the train opened its doors, and filled up with people in shock. I remember being in a state of denial thinking it wasn’t going to be that bad, that the fire department would end the fire and the buildings would be saved.
 
I left New York on Sept 18 and drove across the country moving to Los Angeles.

I took the Southern route to avoid bad weather, and every place I stopped, people saw my New York tags and showed concern, true emotion and love. A tattooed man who had just gotten out of jail and definitely looked like he would not have been very happy to see me in his neck of the woods, showed me the most about how we are as Americans during a time of need. He asked me to pray with him. He thanked God for protecting me and allowing me to make it out of New York alive and asked that the rest of my trip would be protected and blessed.

At that point I felt that in a time of need, Americans don’t see color, age, religion, or our differences, we can still all come together and pray.” –As told to ESSENCE.com

Busta Rhymes
“We’ve been able to still show our resilience and endurance as a city, as a people coming together and remembering the lives of the ones we lost. It’s such a beautiful thing to know we’re not celebrating the loss, but we’re celebrating their lives. This 10 year anniversary shows how far we’ve come.” As told to Reuters.

Ne-Yo
“It really doesn’t even feel like it’s been 10 years. That seems crazy to me,” the singer/producer told Reuters. 

Michael Strahan
It was the scariest moment of my life, because you don’t know what to do and how to react to this situation. It was surreal…I just hope that we can properly honor this 10 year anniversary the way it should be. See more of Michael’s 9/11 memories, here.