Book of Memories

SACSS was a year-old, small organization when 9/11 shook New York City and took thousands of innocent lives. Among the many victims were South Asians whose families were devastated by the loss of their loved ones. At the time, there was no organization providing culturally supportive relief services to these families.

SACSS began working with families affected by 9/11, recognizing the importance of supporting them through an unimaginable loss while also remembering not only those who were lost, but the lives they lived and the families and communities they left behind.

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While working with the families, SACSS was also looking for a way to remember and pay tribute to the lives lost. The idea for the Book of Memories came together through an extraordinary community effort. Sree Sreenivasan of the South Asian Journalists’ Association (SAJA) sent an email appeal on SACSS’s behalf, asking journalists and writers to volunteer to write profiles of those who had died. Within 24 hours, 44 people responded.

Working with photographs and information about the victims, the volunteers captured each person through a short profile, personal details, and quotes that reflected who they were beyond the tragedy. The profiles were completed in just one week, with an outpouring of thoughtfulness and empathy from everyone who contributed.

A year after 9/11, SACSS released the Book of Memories, a tribute to the South Asians and Indo-Caribbeans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The publication was funded through a grant from the Asian American Federation and featured 38 profiles of those who perished.

The Book of Memories was released at SACSS’s 9/11 memorial event, co-sponsored by the Asia Society, where family members shared their memories and experiences. It became a lasting tribute to the 46 families SACSS supported and to the lives and legacies of those who were lost.

Today, as we mark 25 years since 9/11, SACSS is republishing the Book of Memories to ensure that the lives lost that day continue to be remembered, their stories continue to be shared, and their memories are never forgotten.