Attorney General Lynch to Participate in Memorial Events to Mark the 15th Anniversary of September 11

Attorney General Lynch to hold a 9/11 commemoration event at the Department of Justice and Travel to New York to attend Memorial Services

Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch will lead a moment of silence as part of a commemoration ceremony with Department of Justice employees on FRIDAY, SEPT., 9, at 9:00 a.m. EDT to recognize the 15^th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attack.  Following the moment of silence, the Attorney General will deliver remarks and dedicate a commemorative plaque for the “Survivor Tree” seedling that was planted in the Department of Justice’s courtyard on the anniversary last year.  

On SATURDAY, SEPT. 10, at 3:00 p.m. EDT, the Attorney General will attend the New York City Fire Department’s (FDNY) 15^th Anniversary Memorial Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  The memorial mass is closed to press but livestreamed on the St. Patrick’s Cathedral website.  On SUNDAY, SEPT. 11, AT 8:46 A.M. EDT Attorney General Lynch will attend the 15^th anniversary ceremony at the National September 11 Memorial Plaza, and will tour the 9/11 Memorial Museum.  Attorney General Lynch will then deliver remarks at a memorial service hosted by the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn on SUNDAY, SEPT. 11 AT 11:00 A.M. EDT, which she attended as a member during the years she lived in Brooklyn. 

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE MOMENT OF SILENCE AND SURVIVOR TREE PLAQUE UNVEILING

WHO:           Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch

Deputy Attorney General Sally Q. Yates,

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Bill Baer

FBI Director James Comey

Assistant Attorney General John P. Carlin of the National Security Division

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division

WHEN:          FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

9:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE:       U.S. Department of Justice

Courtyard

950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.

Washington, D.C.                                   

OPEN PRESS (Media Gather Time: 7:50 a.m. EDT; Final Access: 8:40 a.m. EDT)

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials.  Space is limited and not guaranteed.  Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Rebecca.L.Stewart@usdoj.gov or press@usdoj.gov.   

FDNY 15^th ANNIVERSARY MEMORIAL MASS AT ST. PATRICK’S CATHEDRAL

WHEN:         SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2016

3:00 p.m. EDT

WHERE:       St. Patrick’s Cathedral

5th Ave and 51^st Street

New York, NY 10022                                   

OPEN TO PRINT MEDIA

LIVESTREAMED AT: http://saintpatrickscathedral.org/live.

Note: NYCTV will also provide a livestream for media cameras outside the cathedral.

9/11 COMMEMORATION CEREMONY

WHEN:         SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

8:46 a.m. EDT

WHERE:       9/11 Memorial Plaza

180 Greenwich Street

New York, NY 10007                             

OPEN TO REGISTERED PRINT MEDIA & BROADCAST POOL CAMERA

LIVESTREAMED AT: www.911memorial.org.

NOTE: Print media should register here.  Space is limited and not guaranteed.  Please note that registration for this event closes today, Thursday, Sept. 8, at 11:30 a.m. EDT.  Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Michael Frazier or Kate Monaghan at press@911memorial.org or (212) 312-8800; or the 9/11 Memorial Media Center.

9/11 MEMORIAL SERVICE AT FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF BROOKLYN

WHO:           Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch

WHEN:         SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

11:00 a.m. EDT

WHERE:       First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn

124 Henry Street

Brooklyn, NY 11201

OPEN TO REGISTERED MEDIA (Media Gather Time: 9:30 a.m. EDT; Final Access: 10:30 a.m. EDT)

NOTE: All media must present government-issued photo I.D. (such as a driver’s license) as well as valid media credentials.  Members of the media must RSVP to Rebecca.L.Stewart@usdoj.gov and press@usdoj.gov by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9, 2016, at 5:00 p.m. EDT.  Space is limited and not guaranteed.  Press inquiries regarding logistics should be directed to Rebecca.L.Stewart@usdoj.gov or press@usdoj.gov.   

Background on the Survivor Tree:

Hundreds of trees grace the plaza of the 9/11 Memorial, but one is unlike the rest.  It’s a Callery pear tree that once stood on the original World Trade Center Plaza.  The collapse of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001 nearly destroyed it, but it was nursed back to health, and today it stands strong again at the Memorial, where it is often adorned with tributes from the Memorial’s millions of visitors. It is known around the world as the “Survivor Tree.”

Fruit from the Survivor Tree was harvested in the fall of 2011 by Bartlett Tree Experts.  In the summer of 2013, the students of John Bowne High School in Flushing, Queens, New York, took custody of the seedlings and have continued to care for them.  The project is a learning experience for the students, teaching about the agriculture of the trees and the history of 9/11.

Each year the 9/11 Memorial donates a Survivor Tree Seedling to a community who has overcome tragedy.  These communities represent the spirit of the Survivor Tree and their tree will serve as an inspirational landmark conveying resiliency and hope within the community, just as the Survivor Tree does at the 9/11 Memorial.  In 2015, the 9/11 Memorial graciously donated one of these unique seedlings to DOJ, and today, it continues to flourish in the courtyard of Main Justice.