Our 9/11 Memorial

Echoing the words of one of our garden founders, Mr. Herbert Tibbs, the First Quincy Street Community Garden is “absolutely and categorically [a] sacred space.”

We proudly have one of the few memorials honoring the Black firefighters who perished on 9/11. The memorial was created in collaboration with the Brooklyn-based Vulcan Society, a fraternal organization for active and retired Black firefighters of the FDNY.

On September 11, 2003, members of the Vulcan Society joined members of the First Quincy Street Community Garden in a ceremony of remembrance and memorial site unveiling that commemorated the 12 Black firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. In attendance were 42 uniformed firefighters, 20 family members, survivors, and hundreds of neighborhood residents.

The garden has since held a remembrance ceremony every year on September 11th that is open to everyone. Throughout the years, we have held various fundraising events in partnership with the Vulcan Society in addition to discussions and movie screenings that relate to the memorial. Our memorial is vitally important to our community and is a site that serves to not only honor the Black souls who have died, but to also provide space for community members to mourn, reflect, and remember.

Our garden works hard to upkeep the memorial and space surrounding it, as it’s an integral part of our garden’s identity. Currently, we are undergoing a Vulcan Society 9/11 Memorial Beautification Project, the aim of which is to increase visibility and accessibility of the 9/11 memorial. Our goal is to create a dedicated space surrounding the memorial for our community members to sit and reflect, and to also improve the overall appearance of the garden and its memorial site.

Interested to support our Vulcan Society 9/11 Memorial Beautification Project?

You can donate here. We’re grateful for your support!

397-401 Quincy St, Brooklyn, NY 11221

Website created and designed by Kristina Samulewski and Alexandria Shope.