Today(9/10/2011),I participated in the Hand in Hand event in lower Manhattan. About 5000 people held hands to commemorate 9/11 at the exact time(8:46 am) when the north building got attacked. Even though it is such a early time at weekend, people never mind sacrificing their sleeping time for the meaningful event. The volunteers of this event started their tasks at each register station at 6:30 am. Some of them don’t live in the city. I really get touched by people’s passion on this event and their compassion for the victims. When I arrived, people at different ages were already there. Although Hand in Hand event didn’t last for a long time, during the moment of people holding hands together, we all felt the air of unity. Evil will never win because we are united fighting against the evil. You could see related news about this event here
(this picture is from http://gothamist.com/upload/2011/09/091011hand4.jpg )
Jiemin, I am impressed that you made this effort to physically participate in an event and not just stand by as an observer. There is a real difference in the experience when you take part in “action.” It is the difference between reading about food and eating.
9/11 is an event that shook the world. Everyone in America, especially New Yorkers were affected by this attack, regardless of race, ethnicity, or background. This event that you attended Jimmy shows the solidarity of New Yorkers. This attack united us, and the events that commemorated the attack demonstrated that. For instance, the memorial event in Cedarhurst park that I attended on the tenth anniversary of 9/11 was a service shared by Jews and Christians, all coming together as Americans to mourn the tragedy. Not everybody feels united under 9/11 unfortunately. people of the Islamic faith are constantly under attack from racists who claim that all muslims are collaborators. Ten years later this attitude persists, evident recently by Lowes pulling its funding from the TLC show Muslims in America. America is a mural of people of all faiths and creeds, and an event against America should unite us all under one flag, and not turn us against each other. Here is the news story about Lowes: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45709626/ns/us_news-life/#.Tu4oIyNSTKA