AmeriCorps CEO Statement on Unity through Service to Honor 9/11 Day

“In the days and months following September 11, 2001, the words “United We Stand” could be seen on everything from bumper stickers to sports arenas across the nation. As Americans and the world struggled to reconcile with the pain and grief, there was a clearer understanding that things that divide us were so much smaller than what unites us. Communities and individuals from coast to coast took action to ensure those words had real life meaning. Through service, our nation came together across differences of all sorts to grieve together, to take care of one another and to do the hard work of rebuilding and uplifting neighborhood by neighborhood.

“This 9/11 Day of Service and Remembrance, AmeriCorps, the federal agency for national service and volunteerism, calls all Americans to honor the victims and heroes of that fateful day through volunteer service. It’s on all of us to rekindle that spirit of unity and service, especially after so many have suffered from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. From supporting students and teachers, running food drives and making emergency preparedness kits to helping with home repairs and organizing cleanups, we can help our neighbors in communities across the country.

“21 years later, let’s do the work to ensure that what unites us outshines what tries to divide us.”