On the Tenth Anniversary of September 11

We the undersigned are a diverse group of religious, racial, ethnic,
and civil and human rights organizations that have joined together in
solemn remembrance of the victims of 9/11.  We honor their memory on
this 10^th Anniversary of the terrorist attacks at the World
Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, by
rededicating ourselves to core principles as set forth in this statement
that reaffirm our unity of purpose as a nation, the resilience of our
democracy, and our respect for fundamental freedoms.

Much attention has been paid to divisions among groups and political
fault lines in the public debate. For our coalition, this anniversary is
an occasion to recall as well that in the immediate aftermath of 9/11,
across the nation, we experienced numerous expressions of unity, empathy
and a renewed faith in each other as many of us joined together in
solidarity and to help one another.

The events of September 11^th were transformative in
many ways. They shook America’s sense of security and brought home to
every person the danger of extremist violence and the reality of our
vulnerability. In the decade since 9/11, two administrations, the
Congress, and countless state and local leaders have devoted
considerable attention to domestic security challenges. The debate over
how we as a country should best cope with ongoing threats is dynamic and
ongoing. 

Effective counterterrorism is important to everyone, but policies
that divide communities, inflame fear and violate human rights undermine
our nation’s core values and our security. Some counterterrorism
measures have resulted in insufficient adherence to constitutional
protections and violations of human rights. Moreover, debates on issues
such as border security have often fanned public fear and contributed to
an atmosphere that fostered distrust, racial profiling and even hate
violence. Too often, even well-intentioned public officials have
exacerbated fears and misunderstandings. Indeed, some government
policies enacted in haste after 9/11 have had discriminatory effects and
singled out entire groups as targets of suspicion. This has left some
in our communities feeling vulnerable and unsafe in their homes, at
their workplaces, at religious gatherings, and in public spaces. This
has been the case especially for immigrants, Muslims, Sikhs, South
Asians, and Arabs.

Left unaddressed, these conditions threaten to undermine efforts to
promote safety and security. We know from experience that America’s
historic commitment to civil and human rights is not an impediment to
public safety but rather offers a more enduring and effective approach
by ensuring that all communities are not alienated or scapegoated.

This anniversary is also a moment to reflect on the importance of
maintaining America’s standing as a global leader. The U.S. speaks
proudly to other countries about the need to protect human rights while
fulfilling the duty of a government to protect the security of its
people.

Our decades of experience as a coalition fighting hate crimes have
shown the power of diverse groups working together and partnering with
law enforcement to shape effective responses. These efforts have
required public-private partnerships to challenge bias, prejudice and
profiling based on race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation,
national origin, religion and disability.  We anticipate building on
that experience to bring together groups and political and civic
leadership to advance our common goal to build secure and inclusive
communities that reflect our nation’s values and its diversity.

We pledge to:

• Use this anniversary as an occasion to recall our shared commitment
  and shared sacrifice to ensure that American policies remain consistent
  with our highest ideals. 
• Work in solidarity to uphold our common American values such as
  respect for diversity, fairness, and tolerance, and our commitment to
  protect fundamental freedoms and basic human rights as well as our need
  for safety and security. 
• Join together in support of policies that promote inclusion and respect for basic rights of every person in America.
• Encourage individuals to participate in a respectful public discourse that will foster reasoned and constructive policymaking.
• Advance a more constructive public discourse and policy environment
  in which the policy recommendations of so many of our organizations –
  ranging from accountability for torture to ending indefinite detention
  to immigration reform – can be considered as part of a sober, reasoned,
  evidence-based discussion. 
• Stand by each other, as we did in the days following 9/11, and
  throughout the last decade, to build and sustain durable partnerships to
  ensure that no one in our communities is singled out or demonized in
  this debate.
• We call on political leaders and public officials to provide
  positive political and civic leadership to meet the challenge of
  ensuring the safety and security of every person in America while
  preserving the freedom and human dignity that is the bedrock of American
  democracy.  This includes:
• Recognizing the critical importance of combating terrorism without
  casting blame or suspicion or alienating any particular community;
• Supporting policies that promote resilience of our civil and legal
  institutions as well as inclusion and respect for basic rights of all
  individuals;     
• Engaging in a policy discourse based on evidence and facts rather
  than one based on overheated rhetoric or the manipulation of fear and
  racial or ethnic stereotyping;
• Strengthening institutions and mechanisms that safeguard civil and human rights;
• Promoting greater partnerships between communities and law
  enforcement to prevent and fight extremist violence while challenging
  bias and rejecting racial profiling;
• Protecting and promoting religious freedom rights, enforcing
  existing civil rights laws, and ensuring comprehensive federal and state
  hate crime data collection efforts; 
• Using their bully pulpit to speak out in response to terrorist acts
  and bias-motivated incidents to affirm unity, condemn bigotry, and calm
  fears.

Supporting Organizations

Alliance for Justice
American Association of Persons with Disabilities
American Civil Liberties Union
American Federation of Government Employees, Women’s & Fair Practices Departments
American Islamic Congress
American Jewish Committee
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee
Anti-Defamation League
ASIAN AMERICAN JUSTICE CENTER Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice
Asian Law Caucus, Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice
Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Education Fund
Asian Pacific American Legal Center, Member of Asian American Center for Advancing Justice
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
Brennan Center for Justice
Center for National Security Studies
Common Cause
DC Vote
Demos
Equal Justice Society
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Hip Hop Caucus
Human Rights Campaign
Human Rights First
Islamic Society of North America
Japanese American Citizens League
Jewish Council for Public Affairs
Jewish Labor Committee
Jewish Women International
Just Detention International
Lambda Legal
Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law
Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
Legal Momentum
Muslim Advocates
Muslim Public Affairs Council
NAACP
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc.
National Assoc for Equal Opportunity in Higher Ed
National Association of Human Rights Workers
National Association of Social Workers
National Black Justice Coalition
National Center for Transgender Equality
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Congress of American Indians
National Council of La Raza
National Council on Independent Living
National Fair Housing Alliance
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
National Hispanic Media Coalition
National Immigration Forum
National Immigration Law Center
National Korean American Service and Education Consortium
National Organization for Women
National Partnership for Women & Families
Open Society Foundations
Opportunity Agenda
PFLAG National
People for the American Way
Pride at Work
Public Advocates Inc.
Rights Working Group
September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows
Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund
Sikh Coalition
South Asian Americans Leading Together
Southern Poverty Law Center
TransAfrica
Union for Reform Judaism
UNITED SIKHS
United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
The Woodhull Sexual Freedom Alliance