Gen Z Learns 9/11 Through Family Stories, School Lessons

According to the BBC, a new generation of Americans who were not alive or were too young to remember the 11 September 2001 attacks is learning about 9/11 through family memories, school lessons and their own research. The article says 25 states require or expect public schools to teach the attacks, while 13 make instruction optional, according to a recent Associated Press analysis, and some states do not specify a curriculum. Several Gen Z interviewees told the BBC they first heard about the attacks in elementary school or from relatives, then later sought out more detail on their own. Avery Black, 20, said she learned about 9/11 in school and later heard her mother describe where she was when it happened; Annie Erickson, 26, said her first memories came from her mother’s personal account of a friend who died in the towers. Allegra Tashjian, 28, said she was surprised to learn about the attacks in early grade school and later asked her mother whether she remembered planes crashing in New York. The article also quotes academics saying interest in 9/11 remains strong among younger students. David Schanzer of Duke University said his course on 9/11 and its aftermath is full, with dozens on a waitlist, while Thomas Schwartz of Vanderbilt University said some students tend to joke about the attacks, though those with family memories of the day are often more cautious.