A Vision Saved Ground Zero: ‘You’re Going on a Mission,’ Her Late Husband Told Her
How widow Monica Iken turned a sacred dream vision into a decade-long fight to save Ground Zero
Key Takeaways
- After losing her husband on 9/11, Monica Iken received a dream vision to save Ground Zero.
- Monica founded September’s Mission and fought for a decade against commercial redevelopment.
- Her tireless advocacy secured the permanent 9/11 Memorial over the Twin Towers' footprints.
After losing her husband, Michael, on 9/11, Monica Iken dedicated herself to protecting the World Trade Center site and preserving his memory forever. Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World on the 25th anniversary of the tragedy that struck America and highlighted the bravery of so many heroes.
Monica Iken didn’t intend to become the face of 9/11 widows. But she was on the scene first thing September 12, with pictures of her husband, Michael, who had been working on the 84th floor of the South Tower. Soon, she was all over TV and the front page of national newspapers.
“This is all so unreal,” she told her family as they gathered in her living room.
“Why don’t you go take a nap?” her sister insisted, and Monica wasn’t asleep long before she awoke to a vision. It was Michael.
The vision that started a mission to protect Ground Zero
“You’re going on a mission,” Michael told her. “You can’t let them rebuild over the site.”
Monica woke up with a stirring in her heart.
As it turns out, there were plenty of people who were passionate about standing alongside her — widows, children and parents of the nearly 3,000 lost souls.
Businesses and investors, however, were eager to redevelop the valuable Manhattan real estate with skyscrapers.
“We’ll build a memorial on Governors Island,” they offered, but Monica was livid.
She soon formed the nonprofit, September’s Mission, which joined other 9/11 organizations.
Together, they persuaded authorities to build an on-site memorial with the full footprints of the Twin Towers.
Their fight lasted nearly a decade, but finally…
September’s mission: How 9/11 families won the battle for the memorial
“It’s really happening,” Monica whispered the day she visited a New Jersey worksite to watch her husband’s name being carved into the monument’s parapet.
The National 9/11 Memorial opened on the 10th anniversary of the attack, but Monica’s work was not done.
Over the years, she’s helped produce the podcast First on the Scene, sharing the stories of 9/11 families and first responders. She’s also spoken regularly to students, explaining what happened to a generation too young to witness the tragedy.
“We may have moved on with our lives,” says Monica, who has remarried and is now the mother of two. “But we still remember. This year is the 25th anniversary and we’re determined to never forget the loved ones we lost.”
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