Remembering is more than "never forgetting" - it's acknowledging the whole story. 

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** 18 YEARS
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Remembering isn’t just "never forgetting." It’s acknowledging the whole story - the one that not only includes the grief of what was lost on 9-11, but also the truth of what was done in the name of 9-11.

In the wake of 9-11, we’ve given in to a culture of retaliation that has enabled policies of discrimination, surveillance, incarceration, and even death. We have witnessed, even allowed, the harassment of our fellow American citizens based on the color of their skin and their religion.

And, as if losing 2996 civilians on 9-11 wasn’t enough, it is estimated that 1.3 million people around the world have been killed due to the “war on terror.” Some might say that is the cost of our freedom, but I wonder if that is the price of our fear. And are we willing to live with that? Is that what my stepfather and so many others risked their lives for? For more violence and death?

18 years later, and it is no less hard. Grief has no timeline. It is endless and ever-changing. John Green says, “Grief does not change you, it reveals you." And it most definitely did that in America. It revealed both the hidden heroism of everyday people. But it also revealed our capacity for fear and hate.

So now, we get to decide what we do with that. How we honor the memory of all of those who gave their life on 9-11 is by demanding justice for all of those who lost their life because of 9-11.

Action is the best kind of remembering. So let's get to work.

Kerri

REMEMBERING
We must remember 9-11, but we must not forget the victims of its wars ([link removed]) . "The World 9/11 Took from Us" ([link removed]) is a powerful piece by a Muslim American who said “I’m still mourning the life I lived before I realized I was different." Because the world was, most definitely, different for Muslim Americans after 9-11 - and it still is. The Justice for Muslims Collective charted a visual timeline of the US policies and programs that have impacted lives of Muslims around the world. And 18 years after 9-11, Muslim and Sikh Americans are still “presumed guilty." ([link removed]) Also left out of the story that we tell is how these Muslims died saving lives on 9-11 ([link removed]) .
Here are more: #MyMuslim911Story ([link removed]) . I'm also grateful to my friend Valarie Kaur for re-sharing a video we recorded from Ground Zero in 2016 ([link removed][0]=68.ARDwBPNGY6erhnkbvaccDns3tzV8ZCyGnwo2TLRQ-neJW5iRBLGmGRMWrl6LzKv-PrOC6zdFO3xywBCuOs-jztFwCrlAHzQkN2uALBTHzo5xtWNWr-NvRiFEOr9P3ZsahIoHxRK_Yr-O851fh5CnriyXU2Jud6IOS-W_Ptk2Kelch5_QRY93Xl5l4WgoweW_eLNdXMFFK31yY_xYFf40aCw9u8JhDywNbPITcTUErxpfiEhr0lBjiOqagYeVMXXbV8NjhjJSjUy5NWI1TqxEI678hrNMS92UX5e8-6QfWq8Cw7N7Fo2WmL_b7WGyBP7PUSUFTfRL1SDjarFl-ixptmOvMVtbJBlHBB2qAw&__tn__=-R&utm_source=CTZNWELL+Main+List&utm_campaign=870144bfcc-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_04_04_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e0c09ce884-870144bfcc-559031209) . Our stories are connected in such a deep way, and we need her voice now more than ever. Check out her #NoMoreBystanders resources ([link removed]) for moving beyond silence to action in the face of violence and cruelty.

LEGACY OF FEAR & HATE
The legacy of the war on terror continues to this day. Rooted in white supremacy and Islamophobia, we have lived through nearly two decades of targeted immigration restrictions, unchecked surveillance, inhumane torture, and an illegitimate war. And this week we’re facing more of the same—racist rants by the president about why we should be turning away Hurricane Dorian asylum seekers ([link removed]) , the severe impact of trauma suffered by separated children ([link removed]) , and deportations of sick migrants who came to the US for lifesaving care ([link removed]) . [photo via Refugee Transitions]

REPAIR & REPARATIONS
How do we begin to repair the harm done in the aftermath of 9-11? How do make up for our silence and complicity in the face of blatant discrimination, harassment, surveillance, and violence? Justice demands that we:
1. Give to Muslim advocacy organizations like MPower Change ([link removed]) and CAIR ([link removed]) ,
2. Listen and learn from Muslim and Sikh activists, including Linda Sarsour ([link removed]) , Najeeba Syeed ([link removed]) , and Valarie Kaur ([link removed]) ,
3. Practice solidarity when our Muslim family members are attacked, like the #IStandWithIlhan ([link removed]) campaign, and
4. Resist and reject anti-American policies of exclusion and discrimination by demanding that elected officials repeal the Muslim travel ban ([link removed]) and #AbolishICE ([link removed]) .
[art via The Atlantic]

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