‘In A Time Of Outright Terror, We Turned Toward Each Other’: VP Kamala Harris’ Full Speech at Shanksville 9/11 Memorial
Vice President Kamala Harris gave a solemn speech at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, PA in which she reflected on the heroism of that day, and the challenges we face 20 years later.
On Saturday morning, the vice president spoke shortly after former President George W. Bush delivered the keynote speech at the ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the crash of Flight 93 in that Pennsylvania field, an act by the flight’s passengers that saved countless lives.
Harris opened by saying “President Bush, it is my honor to be on the stage with you and Mrs. Laura Bush and thank you, President Bush, for your words. They are as resonant today as the words you spoke 20 years ago.”
VP Harris then spoke to the families of those who were lost:
We stand today with all those who lost someone on September 11, 2001. And in the aftermath of the attacks, so many in our nation, too many in our nation, have deeply felt the passage of time these last 20 years. Every birthday your loved one, miss. Every holiday, every time her favorite team won or his favorite song came on the radio, every time you’ve tucked in your children or dropped them off at college, you have felt every day, every week, and every year that has passed these 20 years. So please know your nation sees you and we stand with you and we support you.
We are gathered today on hallowed ground at this place that has been sanctified by sacrifice to honor the heroism that the 40 passengers and crew members showed in the face of grave terrorism.
I remember when I first learned about what happened on that fateful flight, what happened on Flight 93 told us then — and it still tells us — so much about the courage of those on board who gave everything they possibly could, about the resolve of the first responders who risked everything, and about the resilience of the American people.
On this 20th anniversary, on this solemn day of remembrance, we must challenge ourselves. Yes. To look back, to remember for the sake of our children, for the sake of their children. And for that reason, we must also look forward. We must also look toward the future, because in the end, I do believe that is what the 40 were fighting for: their future and ours.
The VP also touched on the incidents of bias that followed the attacks, telling the crowd “we saw after 9/11 how fear can be used to sow division in our nation as Sikh and Muslim Americans were targeted because of how they looked or how they worshiped.”
“But we also saw what happens when so many Americans, in the spirit of our nation, stand in solidarity with all people, and their fellow Americans, with those who experience violence and discrimination,” Harris continued. “When we stand together and looking back, we remember the vast majority of Americans were unified in purpose to help families heal, to help communities recover, to defend our nation, and to keep us safe. In a time of outright terror, we turned toward each other in the face of a stranger. We saw a neighbor and a friend.”
Watch the full speech above via C-Span.
