Glass fragment from Ground Zero collected by Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett
date: label: Date
content: 2001
name: label: Manufactured by
content: Unidentified
label: Subject of
content: Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett, American
notes: label: Caption
content: 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.
label: Caption
content: 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.
label: Caption
content: 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.
label: Description
content: 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: label: Place collected
content: New York City, New York, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Health
label: Topic
content: Labor
label: Topic
content: Mental health
label: Topic
content: Skilled labor
label: Topic
content: U.S. History, 2001-
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Classification
content: Buildings and Structures
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Elizabeth "Queen Ann" Burnett, Operating Engineer
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2021.68.2
objectType: label: Type
content: sherds
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: No Known Copyright Restrictions
label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: glass
label: Dimensions
content: H x W x D: 6 7/16 × 5 5/16 × 3/4 in. (16.3 × 13.5 × 1.9 cm)