On the sixth anniversary of the events of September 11, make a commitment to do a good deed to honor the victims and survivors of the tragedy.

Mygooddeed.org is a website and 501(c)3 non-profit organization which was founded in 2002, “as a way to honor the victims and heroes of 9/11 and preserve the spirit of unity and compassion that existed in the nation following the terrorist attacks.” Part of the idea of the site is for visitors to post their commitments – big or small – to do some good deed on the day and into the future, and to inspire others to do the same.

It is a claim often made that in the aftermath of a disaster – worldwide, and not just in the US – there is often an outpouring of support which eventually fades away. While it is fair enough to say that doing a good deed one day of the year may not be the full way to honor those who have died in large-scale disasters, I think the sentiment behind it is a good one: to encourage people not to remember just the horror of some event but also the sense of unity and goodwill that followed. Of course it would also be ideal if it did not take large-scale disasters for people to express goodwill towards those in need.

Women in Black, which protests violence in many forms throughout the world, held vigils in the wake of the September 11 tragedy and continues to hold vigils throughout the world opposing violence in all the forms it takes. The group published a press release explaining its position against the military action which has come about following the events of September 11, and you can show your support for an end to this form of violence by attending one of the weekly vigils in New York (or check the website to see if there is one near you).

I have been abroad the last few anniversaries of September 11; on the first anniversary I was in Sarajevo, when the electricity in all of downtown Sarajevo happened to go out at about 8pm. The next day, a student brought me a red rose, which she’d brought to class but hadn’t had a chance to give me because everyone had nervously rushed home when the lights went out. The red rose is a symbol associated specifically with remembrance of the war in Sarajevo, and I took the gift as an indirect way of expressing her condolence of the tragedy that had struck my country. Later in the year, on the anniversary of the genocide at Srebrenica (which occurred on “another 11th”, in July 1995, when some 8000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were killed over the span of a few days as the international community literally looked on from nearby), there was a concert in Sarajevo in honor of those victims. The speaker made a comment which I think shows a lot about the character of people there: he also spoke about honoring the victims of September 11 in the US as well.

I thought it was an especially thoughtful gesture that people very much faced with tragedy in their own country took the time to think of others struck by another tragedy, despite the fact that they happened to come from another country. While I’m not about to start listing and linking to websites about tragedies throughout the world, I also thought the sentiment behind that additional dedication had a positive message that we are all world citizens and honoring those who have died need not be limited by borders.

If you’re able to take the day to look into volunteering at home, there are a variety of websites which can help you find an opportunity near you.
Idealist.org
https://www.pointsoflight.org/centers/find_center.cfm
Volunteer Match
1800Volunteer
Volunteer Solutions
Hands on Network
ServeNet