Dear Friends, As our country marks 20 years this week since the attacks of September 11, 2001, I am resending the following action items, educational resources, and online events. We encourage you to join with others in your community to pray and to reflect and discuss where we have been as a nation and what a peaceful future looks like. Many of you joined NRCAT in our successful fight to end the post-9/11 CIA torture that was a stain not just on the nation’s reputation but on the memories of the 3,000 who died on U.S. soil in these attacks and the thousands of U.S. service men and women who died fighting wars of futility in Iraq and Afghanistan. Thank you for your commitment. Write a Letter-to-the-Editor or Op-ed:
If you would like to make your voice heard as we approach the 9/11 commemoration, NRCAT has prepared talking points about the steps our country must still take to end our longest war. You can use these talking points to write a letter-to-the-editor or op-ed for your local newspaper. Email your Members of Congress and President Biden:
Send an email to President Biden and your Members of Congress to tell them that our country needs to ensure that people fleeing Taliban rule in Afghanistan are allowed into neighboring countries and are welcome to come make lives for themselves here in the U.S. Educational Resources/Events/Webinars: - Join NRCAT online (or in-person if you are in the Pasadena, CA area) on Saturday, September 11 at 4pm PT for an event with Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace.
- Educational resources from Valarie Kaur and the Revolutionary Love Project feature stories from Sikh Americans and people of color on the impacts of 9/11 on their communities.
- Join Shoulder to Shoulder online on Thursday, September 9 at 1pm ET for “Multifaith Solidarity: 20 Years Since 9/11” with Imam Khalid Latif who serves as University Chaplain for New York University and Executive Director of the Islamic Center at NYU.
- On Friday, September 10 in New York City, South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is launching a mini-docuseries and interactive digital exhibition, “Process: 20 Years Since.”
- Join Interfaith Youth Core for the “We Commemorate, We Commit” Town Hall on Wednesday, September 8 at 12 noon ET. Led by IFYC President Eboo Patel, the program brings together four national leaders to discuss mobilizing religious, civic and educational institutions to work for an interfaith future.
- On Wednesday, September 15, family and friends of Balbir Singh Sodhi, the first person known to be killed in many acts of hate violence in the aftermath of 9/11, will gather for a vigil in Arizona and you are invited to join online on Youtube or the Sikh Coalition's Facebook page.
Our work for a torture-free world at NRCAT is, if anything, made more urgent as we mark 20 years since 9/11. Indefinite detention without trial at Guantanamo continues, the U.S. still kills people and destroys communities with drone strikes across southwest Asia and north Africa, and 9/11-inspired hate directed against Muslims continues unabated. A future where all communities are treated with dignity and respect, both here and abroad, is within reach, but it's going to take all of us coming together. As people of faith, we can do this. If you have a resource or event that NRCAT can share via social media or other communications, please email T.C. Morrow. Sincerely, Rev. Ron Stief
Executive Director | |
