September 11, 2001.


A day, just like for many New Yorkers, that is intrinsically etched onto my soul. Sure I could blog about where I was, what I wore, how I got home, the smells of burning steel, the eerie silence that permeated the City that Never Sleeps, the shell shocked look on the faces of people who passed me on the street wearing soot like army fatigues. I could write about how the first person to get through on the phone was my father, a man I had chosen not to speak to for about 3 years, and how that day forever changed the dynamics of our relationship for the better. I could relive the anguish I felt when I waited up all night to hear from my lover, and cried myself to sleep as I accepted the fact that he most likely died in his office on the 72nd floor. I could detail the pure joy I felt when he called me at 6:30 the next morning to tell me he was okay, and had been trying to reach me all night.


Yes, I could write about all that and so much more. But on this fittingly gloomy day, I am pissed. Over the past weekend, it was National Muslim American Day. In New York, the 22nd Annual Parade to commemorate this day was held on Madison Avenue. I read in a newspaper that there were people planning to protest. Their reason? Having a parade for Muslim Americans so close to September 11 was "disrespectful" and the parade was a threat to security in New York. What the helllllll? Have we as a country slipped soooo far into the abyss of ignorance that someone can call a parade celebrating beliefs and a way of life "a threat"? Are we so brainwashed that we are stupid enough to believe that all who believe in Allah are terrorists???


I know my pissivity stems from my own experiences. As a Black woman in this country, I know wherever I go, whatever I do, the mere presence of me conjures some negative imagery for a segment of my fellow American citizens. While I may be judged as "loud", "ghetto" "lazy" "uneducated" before I even open my mouth, it pales in comparison to being labeled a killer.

I am embarrassed by the depth of this country's ignorance. The argument for protesting at the parade is asinine at best. Had the parade organizers invited Osama Bin Laden to be the grand marshal? Were the families of the 19 hijackers sitting prominently on a float in the shape of an airplane??? No, but for some reason these idiotic protesters think there is a correlation between religious beliefs and terrorist attacks. That's like saying because I'm black I must eat chitterlings. Or because I was raised in Harlem during the 80s, I must have sold crack during my lifetime. Or because I'm a black woman over 30 (slightly over 30. hahahahaha) I must have a shitload of kids by a bunch of baby daddies.

I want to scream at the protesters: HEY STUPID! THE PARADE WAS STARTED 22 YEARS AGO LONG BEFORE THE TOWERS CAME TUMBLING DOWN. YOU AND YOUR IGNORANCE ARE THE REAL THREAT TO THIS COUNTRY'S SECURITY. YOU ARE THE ONES WHO ARE DISRESPECTING THE MEMORY OF THOSE WHO PERISHED ON THAT TUESDAY MORNING.

What will be the legacy of that day? Ignorance or acceptance? Respect or stereotypes? What more will it take to learn the lesson?