Chris Meek stands at the 9/11 Memorial and Museum in downtown Manhattan. (Photo courtesy of Adhiraj Chakrabarti, American Essence Magazine)
Chris Meek ’92, G’18 was on a work call at Goldman Sachs on Broadway Street in lower Manhattan on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, when he and his colleagues heard a tremendous noise.
From media reports, Meek soon realized what they heard was the hijacked American Airlines Flight 11 as it crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower at 8:46 a.m. A few minutes later, hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower at 9:03 a.m. Meek and his colleagues felt the tremors and heard the loud explosion.
Less than half a mile from Ground Zero, Meek and his teammates frantically made their way down the stairs from their 19th floor office building after the first plane crash and sought refuge at the American Stock Exchange across the street. That’s where they were when the North Tower collapsed.
In the immediate aftermath, Meek observed hundreds of first responders running toward the chaos of the World Trade Center—an image that still resonates 24 years after the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and aboard Flight 93 that killed 2,977 people, including 30 Syracuse University alumni.
Inspired by the bravery of those first responders, Meek dedicated his life to giving back to our soldiers and to preserving the memory of those who died that day. He launched the 9/11 Legacy Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to educate, commemorate and inspire action by telling the stories of the survivors, first responders and the families of those lost.
“Seeing those first responders running toward trouble, running toward the World Trade Center because it’s their job and that’s what they needed to do is one of my most lasting memories from that day,” says Meek, author of the book, “Next Steps Forward: Beyond Remembering. The Power of Action.” “Because of those first responders, I knew I had to do something to give back.”
Meek stands outside Ladder Company 10, located across the street from the World Trade Center. It is the only fire station inside Ground Zero.
Next year, in remembrance of the 25th commemoration of the terrorist attacks, Meek’s foundation plans to promote the events occurring around the country, and it wants to reframe how Americans think about the events of Sept. 11 to ensure the stories of those who lost their lives are preserved and passed along to future generations.
“We vowed to never forget, but there’s an entire generation of Americans who weren’t alive when Sept. 11 happened,” says Meek, executive producer of “The Heroism and Resiliency of 9/11,” a documentary slated for release next September. “They don’t know what they’re not supposed to forget, so I’m trying to change that narrative from ‘Never Forget’ to ‘We Remember’ by sharing those stories and having people talk about what happened.”
The 25th anniversary of the attacks coincides with the 250th anniversary of the founding of America, and Meek says his foundation is working in conjunction with the White House to plan events honoring the victims. He says there are remembrances planned at all three sites: Ground Zero in New York City; the Pentagon, where American Airlines Flight 77 crashed; and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where United Airlines Flight 93 crashed.
Beyond raising awareness of these events, Meek says his foundation wants to make it required that high schools in all 50 states teach students about what happened on Sept. 11 (only 16 states currently require this as part of their curriculum); wants to fundraise to help the Pentagon build an education and resource center honoring those who died in the attacks; and wants to increase the Sept. 11th Victims Compensation Fund, which provides financial compensation for physical illnesses or deaths suffered by first responders and survivors.
Chris Meek visited Ground Zero in the spring, the first time he had returned since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. (Photo courtesy of Adhiraj Chakrabarti, American Essence Magazine)
Meek learned early on the importance of giving back from his mother, Camille, a deaf education teacher who emphasized how one person can make a difference in the world. He recalls his mother saying, “we might not be able to change the world today, but we can change the world around us.”
That served as the impetus for Meek to launch Start Now, a nonprofit that helped individuals facing foreclosure work with banks to remain in their homes. Later, he formed SoldierStrong, which began collecting and donating socks and essential care packages for soldiers serving overseas and morphed into providing technology and educational opportunities to veterans transitioning from active duty to civilian life.
The wisdom imparted by his mother, along with the teachings of the Athenian Oath—“to leave things better than we find them”—guided Meek as he earned bachelor’s degrees in economics and political science from the College of Arts and Sciences and the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, and a master’s degree in public administration from the Maxwell School.
“Everything I have is because of Syracuse University, and everything I’ve done in my career has been motivated by the Athenian Oath,” says Meek, who served on the Maxwell Advisory Board for 10 years. “I’ve been blessed to have a series of small wins that turned into major victories, and it doesn’t take much to make changes to the world around me.”
Troops pose with the care packages from a shipment delivered by SoldierStrong, a nonprofit Meek started to donate socks and essential care items to soldiers serving overseas.
