Tuesday, August 25, 2026

As the nation prepares to mark the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Muskegon Community College (MCC) will host Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Charlie LeDuff for an evening of firsthand insight into one of the most consequential events in modern American history.

“Reflections on 9/11 – 25 Years Later” will take place at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2, in Room 1300 of the Stevenson Center at MCC. The event is free and open to the public.

LeDuff covered the events of 9/11 for The New York Times and, in the days following the attacks, worked alongside crews at Ground Zero, helping dig through the rubble of the World Trade Center to find human remains.

“Reading about 9/11 or watching the events unfold on television can never fully convey what happened that day,” said George Maniates, MCC Experiential Learning Chair. “But standing at Ground Zero, seeing the devastation firsthand and seeing the devastation with your own eyes is something entirely different.”

During the event, LeDuff will reflect on his experiences covering the attacks and the days that followed, as well as the subsequent responses by local, state, and federal officials. His presentation will offer attendees an opportunity to hear directly from someone who witnessed the aftermath of the attacks from inside the disaster zone.

“LeDuff experienced that reality up close, and the insight and perspective he will bring to MCC 25 years later is something our community will not want to miss,” Maniates said.

Charlie LeDuff is the author of four best-selling books: Work and Other Sins: Life in New York City, US Guys, Detroit: An American Autopsy and Shtshow!: The Country Is Collapsing, and The Ratings Are Great*. After returning to Michigan in 2012, he became a reporter for FOX 2 News in Detroit and created The Americans, a syndicated series exploring the changing American economy and culture.