Manufactured by
Unidentified
Subject of
Burnett, Elizabeth "Queen Ann", American
Date
2001
Medium
glass
Dimensions
H x W x D: 6 7/16 × 5 5/16 × 3/4 in. (16.3 × 13.5 × 1.9 cm)
Caption
This piece of glass was collected by Elizabeth “Queen Ann” Burnett while working at the World Trade Center “Ground Zero” site in the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks in 2001. A member of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE), Burnett worked as an operating engineer maintaining and operating the heavy equipment used in the clean-up efforts. Growing up in New York City, Burnett was drawn to the construction trades and became a dock builder at the age of 18. Despite facing racial and gender discrimination, she landed an apprenticeship with the IUOE Local 15 in 1993 and began working all over New York City and New Jersey as an operating engineer.
Burnett began working in Ground Zero shortly after the World Trade Center collapsed. For nearly a year, she worked 12, 24, and, even, 36-hour shifts helping to remove 1.6 million tons of construction materials, and human remains, from the site. She’s one of the many women and men working on the clean-up site who suffered from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In an effort to cope, she converted the back of her SUV to an art studio and began handcrafting her unique shadowbox artworks.
This glass and the other artifacts from Burnett in the NMAAHC collection serve as important reminders of the sacrifices of the thousands of round-the-clock construction workers who helped America to rebuild after a grievous loss.
Description
A glass fragment recovered from the World Trade Center "Ground Zero" site by Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett, an operating engineer, during clean up operations. The glass is thick and covered in chips and scratches. The sides are mostly straight and the surface smooth except for large divots at one corner.
Place collected
New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
Classification
Buildings and Structures
Type
sherds
Topic
Health
Labor
Mental health
Skilled labor
U.S. History, 2001-
Credit Line
Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett, Operating Engineer
Object number
2021.68.2
Restrictions & Rights
No Known Copyright Restrictions
Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
GUID
http://n2t.net/ark:/65665/fd56ccec01a-a237-4376-b270-6e35bd80f206

Cataloging is an ongoing process and we may update this record as we conduct additional research and review. If you have more information about this object, please contact us at NMAAHCDigiTeam@si.edu

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