September 11, 2001: The Black Experience
by Saeed Shabazz
Staff Writer
NEW YORK—Whether the government knew, or how much it knew, about the impending
Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center is weighing heavy on family members of
victims, even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepares to officially end recovery
efforts at the site.
To date, the New York City medical examiner says that some 19,000 body parts have been
recovered from the 16-acre site where once stood the twin towers of the World Trade
Center. New York City officials say that all human remains should be removed from Ground
Zero by June...
...There were thousands of unsung heroes that day. One of them was Darryl Taylor, 52,
who worked as an office manager on the 83rd floor in the north tower. He was not able to
communicate with his family, but he did contact his company in New Jersey by fax.
“The telephones were knocked out immediately, but Darryl used his head and stayed in
touch with the company,” Greg Taylor, his brother, said. What bothers his family is that
most of the people on the 83rd floor made it out, but everyone working with Darryl Taylor
died.
“We think that something was wrong with the fire door,” says Gyasi El-Bey, another
brother. There are five children in the Taylor family. Their father Carl Taylor Sr., 78, lives
in North Carolina. “We talked with our father from the very first moment that we learned of
the attack,” the brothers explained. “He was very sad then and he is still distraught,” they
say.
“We can imagine that Darryl, being one of the oldest persons at work, helped to keep
everyone calm, even as things turned ugly,” Greg Taylor says.
Darryl Taylor was a fixture in the Black community on Staten Island. He played drums, both
acoustic and congas. Many people say he reached the lives of many people through his
cultural pursuits and through the quiet dynamism of his personality.
Staten Island has a population of 450,000, and on September 11, more than 200 people
from the Island lost their lives at the WTC, 78 of them firemen. The Black community of
Staten Island, according to census figures, numbers around 30,000.
“Darryl was the kind of guy that you knew had to be present when something was about to
happen,” remembers Tim Martin, a life-long friend. “It was like when he entered the room, it
became official.”
Mr. El-Bey and Mr. Taylor say they hope to use any money from the federal September 11
Fund for music scholarships for Black children on Staten Island. “We want to memorialize
Darryl in some special way,” they say. Darryl Taylor never married and had no children of
his own.
“It is good that the family wants to establish the scholarship fund,” Sajdah Muserwere
Ladner told The Final Call. Ms. Ladner runs the Temple of The Arts, a cultural program
located on Staten Island. Darryl was an important fixture in the cultural life of Black Staten
Islanders, she says.
by Saeed Shabazz
Staff Writer
NEW YORK—Whether the government knew, or how much it knew, about the impending
Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center is weighing heavy on family members of
victims, even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg prepares to officially end recovery
efforts at the site.
To date, the New York City medical examiner says that some 19,000 body parts have been
recovered from the 16-acre site where once stood the twin towers of the World Trade
Center. New York City officials say that all human remains should be removed from Ground
Zero by June...
...There were thousands of unsung heroes that day. One of them was Darryl Taylor, 52,
who worked as an office manager on the 83rd floor in the north tower. He was not able to
communicate with his family, but he did contact his company in New Jersey by fax.
“The telephones were knocked out immediately, but Darryl used his head and stayed in
touch with the company,” Greg Taylor, his brother, said. What bothers his family is that
most of the people on the 83rd floor made it out, but everyone working with Darryl Taylor
died.
“We think that something was wrong with the fire door,” says Gyasi El-Bey, another
brother. There are five children in the Taylor family. Their father Carl Taylor Sr., 78, lives
in North Carolina. “We talked with our father from the very first moment that we learned of
the attack,” the brothers explained. “He was very sad then and he is still distraught,” they
say.
“We can imagine that Darryl, being one of the oldest persons at work, helped to keep
everyone calm, even as things turned ugly,” Greg Taylor says.
Darryl Taylor was a fixture in the Black community on Staten Island. He played drums, both
acoustic and congas. Many people say he reached the lives of many people through his
cultural pursuits and through the quiet dynamism of his personality.
Staten Island has a population of 450,000, and on September 11, more than 200 people
from the Island lost their lives at the WTC, 78 of them firemen. The Black community of
Staten Island, according to census figures, numbers around 30,000.
“Darryl was the kind of guy that you knew had to be present when something was about to
happen,” remembers Tim Martin, a life-long friend. “It was like when he entered the room, it
became official.”
Mr. El-Bey and Mr. Taylor say they hope to use any money from the federal September 11
Fund for music scholarships for Black children on Staten Island. “We want to memorialize
Darryl in some special way,” they say. Darryl Taylor never married and had no children of
his own.
“It is good that the family wants to establish the scholarship fund,” Sajdah Muserwere
Ladner told The Final Call. Ms. Ladner runs the Temple of The Arts, a cultural program
located on Staten Island. Darryl was an important fixture in the cultural life of Black Staten
Islanders, she says.
| In Fond Memory... DARRYL TAYLOR |
Former Resident of St. Michael's Home For Children
