Black Female NY Firefighter On How To Remember 9/11’s First Responders

BET.com has a candid interview with a New York City firefighter who saved many lives on 9/11.

By Jorge Rivas Sep 12, 2011

New York City firefighter Regina Wilson was one of many women first responders at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. In a recent interview with BET she speaks about her hopes that the country remembers that there heroes of that day weren’t just white males.

An except from BET.com’s interview with Wilson:

As Wilson reflects on the day she lost seven colleagues from her Engine 219 firehouse where she still works today, she hopes that 10 years later, this September 11, all those who sacrificed their lives will be remembered.

Over the years she says that men, and particularly white men, have only been the face of rescue, recovery and search efforts on September 11, but that’s not true.

"I think one of the biggest things that I hope for is not even so much as an African-American woman, but as a woman, period, that people will be able to see our own personal sacrifices, and that history will show that men were not the only protectors of the city, but there were women there, too," she says. "We were here trying to serve our country. We were there trying to protect our neighbors and our neighborhoods. I think that I don’t want history to exclude that in the things that have been done with Ground Zero."

Wilson, who’s the only female that serves in her firehouse, is one of an estimated 11,000 female firefighters in the United States.

Read Regina Wilson’s complete interview on BET.com.