Mamdani Will Honor 9/11 Victims With a New City Holiday, as a Petition Pushes To Keep Him out of the 25th Anniversary Ceremony
‘Remembrance carries a responsibility.’
Zohran Mamdani is taking a significant step ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks by officially designating the date as a Day of Remembrance and Service. According to The Guardian, the mayor announced on Friday, September 4, 2026, that he will sign two executive orders to honor those impacted by the tragedy, which include victims, first responders, survivors, city workers, and families who have faced long-term consequences.
This move marks the first time a New York City mayor has taken such an action at the city level. The first executive order establishes September 11 as a formal citywide day of remembrance. It directs the administration to set aside time for a moment of silence to honor those killed, as well as those who have suffered health consequences in the years since.
Beyond the moment of silence, the order encourages city agencies to hold memorial ceremonies and educational programming. To help facilitate this, the Mayor’s Office is partnering with NYC Service to highlight community service and volunteer opportunities for residents.
The second executive order focuses on the future
It is focused on modernizing the city’s emergency continuity plans for the first time since 2007. This order creates the Continuity and Mission Assurance Team, or CMAT, which is a new interagency group.
This team will be chaired by the Deputy Mayor for Operations and includes leaders from NYC Emergency Management, the Office of Technology and Innovation, the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, and the Office of Management and Budget. The group is tasked with ensuring that government services remain operational and effective during any potential future emergencies.
Mayor Mamdani emphasized the importance of these actions in a statement. He said, “I am honored to establish the City’s first Day of Remembrance and Service on September 11th to remember those we lost on that horrific day and the first responders, families and City workers whose lives were irrevocably changed in the aftermath. Through this executive order, we are calling on New Yorkers to honor their memory through service and deep reflection.”
“We must also recognize that remembrance carries a responsibility to strengthen our city, protect New Yorkers and ensure that government is prepared to deliver for people no matter the circumstances. ‘Never Forget’ is not a slogan. It is a commitment that we must carry forward through action. And that is precisely what these two Executive Orders demonstrate,” he added.
City officials have expressed strong support for this initiative
Fire department commissioner Lillian Bonsignore noted that the legacy of those who responded in 2001 is defined by service. She stated that the greatest tribute the city can pay is to continue serving others with compassion and courage. Similarly, NYC Emergency Management commissioner Christina Farrell mentioned that the new continuity planning will ensure the city remains prepared to keep essential services available when residents need them most.
Despite these efforts, the mayor is facing a campaign that aims to exclude him from the 25th anniversary commemorative events at Ground Zero. A petition currently circulating has gathered more than 98,000 signatures, including from some family members of those who lost relatives in the attacks.
The petition claims that the mayor has supported individuals whose public records are seen as dismissive of American institutions or insufficiently critical of extremist ideologies. Former New York governor George Pataki has also publicly stated that Mamdani should skip the memorial.
These tensions arrive while the 34-year-old democratic socialist, who is also the city’s first Muslim mayor, deals with a wave of Islamophobic attacks. Even before he assumed office, Mamdani faced such hostility on the campaign trail, including comments from former governor Andrew Cuomo, House Republicans, and President Donald Trump.
However, many others have pushed back against the effort to keep the mayor away
Elizabeth Miller, a project director for September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, whose own father was killed in the attacks, had told CBS that the focus should be on the current state of the world 25 years later. She added, “Mayor Mamdani has assured 9/11 families that he wants to be there to honor our loved ones, and I think he should be allowed to do that.”
Her organization also issued a statement condemning the anti-American and Islamophobic sentiments behind the push to bar the mayor. They maintained that Ground Zero is a sacred burial ground and should not be used as a platform for partisan politics.
City council speaker Julie Menin also weighed in, calling the effort to exclude the mayor “absolutely inappropriate.” She pointed out that former mayor Mike Bloomberg made a deliberate decision to ensure that political speeches were not part of the event to prevent the day from being politicized.
When asked about the petition a few weeks ago, Mamdani remained firm in his intention to participate. He told reporters, “I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders, forever impacted by that horrific terror attack, by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration, reaffirming that we will never forget the solemn day felt by all of us who call this city home, and frankly, by all of us who call this country home.”
(Featured image: NYC Mayor’s Office)
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