T-Shirt
- Description
- Light blue T-shirt with a screen-printed image of an aerial over lower Manhattan, taken as the dust cloud from the collapse of the Twin Towers engulfs the area. Printed text surrounding the image reads: “We Were There | We Deserve Care.” On the back of the T-shirt is printed text that reads: “Pass The | 9/11 | Health Bill.”
- Historical Notes
On 9/11, Lila Nordstrom and other students evacuated Stuyvesant High School, located near the World Trade Center. After the campus reopened in early October, many of the students experienced respiratory ailments and other symptoms from the toxic dust. Nordstrom spearheaded efforts to have them recognized as survivors in need of care and funding. After college, she founded StuyHealth, an advocacy group supporting young adults affected by exposure to World Trade Center toxins, and she remains engaged in the cause more than a decade later.
In Washington, D.C. in 2009, Nordstrom noticed that women in the lobbying cohort were frequently mistaken for wives and children of first responders. She and others wore these T-shirts to make it clear that they were 9/11 survivors advocating for their care to be covered.
- Accession Number: IL.2025.5.1
- Dimensions: 27 in X 31 in
- Dimensions (Metric): 68.58 cm X 78.74 cm
- Credit Line: Courtesy of Lila Nordstrom
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