As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, families of victims have launched a petition urging organizers to bar New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from participating in the official memorial. More than 42,000 people have signed, citing his past associations, his reluctance to condemn extremist rhetoric, and his praise for individuals connected to violence against Americans. For these families, the issue is deeply personal. They argue that anyone who has normalized extremist messaging or supported figures linked to terror should not stand at a ceremony dedicated to remembering the darkest morning in American history. Commemoration is an obligation to remember what happened and confront the ideologies that continue to resurface today.

I was born in Queens, New York. My parents built our family there. Like millions of other New Yorkers and Americans, 9/11 is not a chapter in a history book. It is a scar that remains visible no matter how many years pass. One of my closest family friends, a man I consider an uncle, was in the North Tower that morning. He escaped down the stairwell from the 37th floor, covered in dust and fear, and his wife didn’t hear from him until later that night. The fear and grief of that day will never fully fade.

For families like ours, the 25th anniversary of 9/11 is not a political stage. It is a day to mourn and honor the victims, survivors, and first responders who ran toward danger as others ran away. It should be reserved for remembering those we lost, and the courage shown that day, not for........

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