9-11 We Remember, We Honor, We Pledge

Twenty-five years after 9/11, we remember those we lost, honor those who served, and pledge to defend freedom, democracy, and one another.

9-11 We Remember, We Honor, We Pledge Memorial.

Friends,

Twenty-five years ago, September 11, 2001 changed us forever.

Nearly 3,000 people left home that morning expecting an ordinary Tuesday. They kissed their families goodbye. They went to work. They boarded airplanes. They made coffee, answered phones, sat at their desks, and went about their lives.

So many never came home.

I know where I was that day, as do many of you. Time stopped. Our hearts broke.
Today, 25 years later, we remember them.

We remember every life stolen. Every family forever changed. Every empty chair at the dinner table. Every birthday, graduation, wedding, and ordinary Tuesday that came afterward without someone who should have been there.

We honor the firefighters who climbed those stairs while everyone else was coming down.

We honor the police officers, emergency workers, service members, recovery workers, and volunteers who ran toward danger.

We honor the passengers and crew of Flight 93 who knew what was happening and chose courage.

And we honor the survivors, families, and first responders who have carried the weight of that day for twenty-five years.

But when I think about September 11, I also remember what Americans did next.

We reached for one another.

Strangers helped strangers.

People opened their homes. They gave blood. They brought food. They searched for the missing. They stood beside grieving families. They asked what they could do, and then they showed up.

In one of our darkest moments, ordinary people reminded us of something extraordinary:

Caring for one another has tremendous power.

That is the America I still believe in.

And twenty-five years later, remembering must mean more than looking backward.

It must also be a pledge about what comes next.

• We pledge that fear will never make us surrender our humanity.

• We pledge to reject political violence, terrorism, hatred, and authoritarianism.

• We pledge to protect the freedom to speak, worship, organize, protest, vote, love, and live without fear.

• We pledge to defend democracy and the rule of law.

• We pledge to stand beside our neighbors when someone tries to turn us against one another because of racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry.

Because the answer to fear is not more fear.

It is courage.

The answer to hate is not hate.

It is humanity.

The answer to division is community.

That is how we honor those we lost.

Not only with our memories, but with the country we choose to build in their name.

And today, we pledge to keep showing up for one another, protect our freedoms, and leave the next generation a democracy stronger than the one entrusted to us.

We remember. We honor. We pledge.

Hope over fear. Power to the people.

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Together, we can champion our rights, freedoms, and democracy, hold our leaders accountable to the people’s will, and inspire voters to make a meaningful difference.

Laurie Woodward Garcia (paid with hugs and kisses, not bought by special interests) Leader, People Power United

People Power United | In this community, we will always speak out against racism, xenophobia, Islamophobia, antisemitism, homophobia, misogyny, sexism, ageism, ableism, sizeism, elitism, transphobia, misogynoir, and bigotry!

Laurie with People Power United joining other activists and organizations to drop thousands of petitions off to Congress for reforms to the Supreme Court.

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This is our moment to rise, resist, and reclaim our rights, freedoms, rule of law, and democracy. Millions of Americans are already refusing to back down — in the streets, at the ballot box, and in their communities.

Every movement that was ever won started with people who refused to quit. We are those people.

The future is not lost. It is being built — by us, right now.