Bloomington-Normal teachers recall the experience of being in the classroom on Sept. 11, 2001.

Since the 9/11 attacks, xenophobia and violence have increased against Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian individuals within the United States. In the Bloomington-Normal community, this has made an impact on many.

Many Illinois State University students were too young or not born yet during the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. These young adults only came to know about the attacks through education and societal influence. It's the second generation to feel trauma from 9/11.

WGLT's Jon Norton explains what he was doing on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001.

Of all the many shifts and twists in U.S. society since the twin towers fell 20 years ago, none may be quite as profound as in the aviation industry. Now 35 years into his career, Central Illinois Regional Airport Director Carl Olson was an airport director on 9/11 as well, in upstate New York.

The Normal Public Library has opened an exhibit that includes an oral history from McLean County residents recounting their 9/11 stories 20 years after the attacks.

Some people have moved beyond the anguish of 9/11. For others, the pain is raw and new two decades later. For many 9/11 is history that has shaped the nation. Others believe it continues to echo in our national image and policies.

Two decades after the 9/11 attacks, the nation has not yet deeply reconsidered the national security response to the tragedy and whether the rights of citizens have eroded, according to the ACLU of Illinois.