My community is international. A large part of it is Muslim. I have witnessed atrocities against my non-white and Muslim community members as a result of 9/11, which is the most horrible day in my memory. I did not lose anyone I knew personally in the attacks that day, but it still feels far worse than the loss of my dearly beloved grandmother which happened much more recently.
I imagined this looking much cooler--the black in my purple compassion gloves making that peace sign pop. . .
This is because the terrorism never ended. It has only grown. I am not talking about terror by Muslims or Arabs or brown people. I am talking about terror against the Others in the United States and worldwide who want freedom of religion, sexuality, expression or simply to live without harassment.
I have been scrutinized with the expectation that I will be violent based on my ethnic roots (Middle Eastern) and because some members of my family are practicing Muslims. It does not seem to matter that I am not a follower of Islam, or that I am just as much white as I am not-white. Or that I have been vocally anti-war and anti-violence my entire life. Or that no one I know who is Muslim or Arab or brown has ever been violent, been arrested, tried for violence or ever found to be violent when I have cut many white Christians out of my life because they were violent or dealing drugs or had committed hate crimes.
I am sad today because I know more white people who have committed hate crimes against brown people than I know brown people who have committed crimes.
I am sad because this day reminds me how unsafe it is to be born as I am, and that no matter how much I contribute to my country, I will always be suspected. I only want to do good in this world. Even on Steemit I see people trashing Islam under the assumption that it breeds terrorism. Hate and restriction breed terrorism. If we practice empathy and freedom, peace thrives.
I choose to focus on the helpers. Everyone who showed up at the Twin Towers, every life lost in an effort to save another, every selfless act, every individual who came to the aid of friends who were being physically or verbally harassed since 9/11. The woman that one time when I was shopping at Target and a couple stopped me when I was trying to find shampoo for "mixed hair" to ask me where I was from and whether I thought I should "be here."
She put an arm around me and said, "Hey, I was looking for you. Aren't we going for lunch?" Then she walked me to through checkout and to my car and apologized for their behavior.
I told her don't apologize. I knew what she was doing: she was identifying with them because they shared her looks, color, accent, etc. But looking, sounding or being from the same place as a jerk does not make you a jerk. Your actions do. Same is true for terrorists. She had nothing to apologize for.
She was not a jerk. She was a helper. I am going to be a helper too!
I am wishing peace for all on this percussive day,