Clarke Central JROTC 9/11 Ceremony gallery by Sophie Fernandes.
By FAJR DELANE – Staff Writer
As part of Clarke Central’s JROTC ceremony, Senior Fajr DeLane delivered a speech about America’s Resilience. With her permission, the speech is printed here.
Fourteen long, but not forgotten years ago, our nation, in all her strength, power and influence found herself vulnerable and succumbed to one of the most unforgettable and seemingly unforgivable acts of terror ever waged in modern history.
In what appeared to be the longest morning ever, millions and millions of men, women and children watched in awe around the world, as our nation’s World Trade Center and financial heartbeat, burned under siege, in what became noted as the infamous 9/11 terrorist attacks of 2001.
On that tragic day and dark chapter of American history, let us not forget that all Americans were affected by this devastating tragedy: American whites, American blacks, American Christians, American Muslims, American gays, American Hispanics, and American Asians respectively–as acts of terror have no respect of person.
In every experience, there is a life lesson to be learned. One of the most important lessons of our generation is that of individual choice and individual accountability, and that one man’s actions can never and should never blanket that of an entire group.
Today, let us be bigger than terror and move forward. Let not hatred and bigotry divide our nation and global alliance. Let our nation’s character lead in the best of humanity and exemplify true American unity and justice for all.
