Today marks 20 years since the terrifying attacks on September 11, 2001. Although time has passed, our memory of that day will live on forever.
We will never forget where we were that morning when we heard the news.
We will never forget our family, friends, colleagues and loved ones who were in and around the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, and the bravery of those on Flight 93 that diverted the attack.
We will never forget that almost 3,000 lives were taken from us too soon.
We will never forget how we felt on that day. It didn’t matter if we were Democrat or Republican, Black or white, young or old. We were American, and our country – our democracy – was under attack. Now, two decades and two wars later, things have changed drastically. Technology has advanced, our national security is world-class, and those second-graders are now college graduates.
Much has changed, and yet our democracy is still under attack.
We’ve spent the past twenty years fighting both in and out of our borders to uphold the democratic ideals of our founding fathers, that all are created equal, and have the explicit right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. But day after day, the most sacred tenets of our democracy are being chipped away from within.
Whether it’s voter suppression laws or the rise in crimes fueled by hate and racism, too many in this nation are not reaping the benefits of a true democracy.
In the solemnity of today, we remember those we’ve lost and pay our respects to those who continue to feel the devastating effects of 9/11. In honoring their memory, I implore you to recommit to America, recommit to democracy, and recommit to making it work for all.
Fighting Forward,
Derrick Johnson
@DerrickNAACP
President and CEO
NAACP