For the past twenty years on 911, we are reminded of the 2,977 people who were killed during the most
significant terrorist attack in the history of our country.
This was a national tragedy that we must never forget. We must never forget those innocent lives lost,
or those who survived, but will never be the same. We must never forget our first responders who
bravely risked their lives to save fellow Americans, they did not know. We must never forget the many
first responders and civilians, who survived but have since died, or are living with heath issues
associated with that fateful day. And we must never forget the families who lost loved ones and re-live
this day every year.
We were a nation that stood together in solidarity as our country was under attack. Race or religion
played no part in saving lives. We were One! As a country, our leaders took significant steps around the
world to combat terrorism, bring the perpetrators of the September 11, 2001, attack to justice, and
make the world a safer place.
However, some will question whether we as Americans are safer from further attacks. America recently
ended the war in Afghanistan, A twenty-year war, that resulted in the expenditure of hundreds of
billions of dollars of U.S. taxpayer money and the loss of thousands of our U.S. soldiers. Although it has
been expressed how vital our assistance in training and equipping the Afghan government would be
after our departure, from everything that we see on television and in the newspapers, one thing is clear,
Afghanistan quickly collapsed into the hands of the Taliban.
I am hopeful that the assurances by our government, that we are safer since September 11, 2001, are
true. The one thing I am sure of as a nation, we must stay vigilant in our surveillance of terrorist groups
and those organizations that support them.
But most of all….we must never forget!
Sincere regards,
Catherine Hicks
President, NAACP PhiladelphiaBranch