Instinct sent reporter Barbara Nevins Taylor running toward the danger on 9/11. Despite it being one of the hardest days of her life, she'd do the same thing all over again.
More than 20 years after the events of 9/11, Barbara Nevins Taylor still remembers the terrifying sounds and sights from the day that changed New York City and the United States forever. On Thursday, October 7, Professor Nevins Taylor gave a press conference via Zoom to a CCNY Intro to Journalism class, recalling her experience covering September 11 for television and the lingering personal effects of her work that day.
Professor Nevins Taylor, a reporter who worked for UPN and FOX5 News at the time of the event, is currently the program director for journalism at The City College of New York. At the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attack, she wrote and spoke about that day. “I wanted people to remember that 9/11 still remains with many who are living and who are hoping to continue to live even though there is something destructive from 9/11 within us,” she said. “When you are a reporter, you want to be part of the big story, the big story whatever it is, and this was a big story. But the 20th anniversary was also very important for me to commemorate as a reporter, as a storyteller.”
The morning of September 11, 2001, was also Election Day, and Nevins Taylor was ready to go out and vote when her husband ran into the house and informed her that a plane had crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. She realized immediately that she wanted to go down there. “I never thought for a moment about not going,” she said.
Although she admits that the experience was overwhelming, the professor knew this was her job, and she had an opportunity to be part of what would be an extremely important moment in history. She is also a natural: Nevins Taylor describes herself as a person who people could confide in and tell their stories to. She was staked out for days at Ground Zero, as people around the area and even first responders talked to her. “That day, that’s all I did. I basically held my microphone and listened to people tell their stories,” she explained.
As she stood there with the buildings burning behind her and people freaking out, Nevins Taylor remained calm and continued to interview people. However, her willingness to work that day came with a major consequence as she discovered three years ago that she had cancerous tumors in one lung and ground glass in the other. Through medical treatment, she overcame the sickness and continues to advocate for medical treatment for first responders.
Even after all she has been through, she has no regrets. “Metabolically, I could not change anything,” Nevins Taylor admitted. “This is me. This is who I am.”
Disclaimer: Barbara Nevins Taylor oversees HarlemView as an advisor.
Tags: 2001 9/11 9/11 first responders Barbara Nevins Taylor CCNY Journalism Ground Zero September 11 terrorist attack The City College of New York World Trade Center
