It will be the tenth anniversary of the September 11th attacks, and the Oakland families and friends who lost loved ones will suffer through this day as they have every year since. First year, tenth year, or the twentieth year anniversary, time will not lessen the loss endured.
Collectively, the tenth anniversary incorporates not just the memory of the actual event, but all the years that have passed since that day. On September 11th, 2001, strangers became friends, neighbors became family, the threads that bind humanity pulled us together. Faced with atrocity, we came together as a people to rescue, to aid, to comfort.
Where are we now, ten years later? Do we aspire to the unity of purpose, civility, and humanity we shared immediately after the September 11th attacks? Or have we experienced a decade of lost opportunities?
There are renewed efforts to forge a better tomorrow through the tragedy of the past. The “I Will” campaign is seeking to encourage people to observe the anniversary of 9/11 by performing good deeds, supporting charitable causes, volunteering and engaging in other acts of compassion – throughout the year. Readers can visit 911day.org to share with millions of others how they intend to make September 11th a Day of Service and Remembrance.
The 911day.org campaign offers an opportunity to rekindle those days when America was truly, and honestly, one nation, under God, indivisible.
Join the 911 Tribute Movement, visit 911day.org and be inspired.
( read The Journal’s original 911 tribute )