Ten years after 9/11, are we still walking the walk?

Author: José A. Rodríguez
Image: Paula Anderanin

I spent most of the afternoon on 9/11 watching The Concert For New York City re-broadcast on VH1.  This was the concert where entertainers came together with NYC police, fire and other safety officers to raise funds for the families affected by the disaster. During the course of the program, so many memories and emotions re-surfaced and I was glad for it.  I’ll tell you why.

One of the things that I remembered the most is how our country came together in our collective grief.  Those of us old enough to remember clearly recalled where we were or what we were doing when we either saw the coverage on TV or first found out.  Whether we were directly affected by the terrorist attacks or were eyewitnesses, we shared in this pain.

I remember when we declared our resolve to continue living our lives, so that we could show that we would not be stopped.  The thing about terrorism is that it has its power through the fear of what might come.  We moved past this fear to gather together and defend our way of life.

I look at our country ten years later and wonder what happened? There is both overt and covert discrimination against Middle Eastern people and those that would be confused for them.  There is discrimination against people perceived to be undocumented.  We are about to come to what I feel is one of the most bitter elections during my lifetime.  We went from being Americans to being Democrat, Republican, Tea Partier, liberal or conservative.  The sense of togetherness that wrapped us collectively seems to have long since disappeared.

I think about Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus” that was on The Statue of Liberty.  It has some lines that read:

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

If no other country land would accept these people, then, at least, the United States would. Can we say that this is still true?

I challenge us to hold to our pledge that we, as a country, made ten years ago.  Let us go on and live our lives.  Let us allow people to practice their religion without fear of discrimination.  Let people’s names and their customs be respected.  If somebody “different” arrives to our country, they should be welcomed with open arms, not strange looks or snide comments.  I might be wrong, but I don’t think that these things happen lately half as much as they should.  Let us walk the walk and continue to live our American Way of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.