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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
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