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  • From the Editor
  • Deepa Iyer

The September 11 moment is the historical turning point of my generation. Those of us in our twenties and thirties will always remember where we were when the attacks occurred. Many of us came of age as a result of the shared national experience of grieving, grasping for information and understanding, and grappling with a sense of urgency to live every moment as though it were our last. Many of us became politically and socially conscious, rallying on the National Mall, college campuses, and city streets to express our frustration with our political leadership and with our country’s direction here and abroad. The moment provoked some of us to leave our careers and educational paths, and to make pivotal decisions about families and friendships. And a number of us turned our full attention to building community-based institutions, providing services, and organizing and amplifying the voices of community members who were being targeted, scrutinized, or marginalized in the backlash that was to follow the September 11 moment.

This year, on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001, we have the opportunity to reflect upon how the last decade has changed us and our country. Within these pages are deeply personal observations as well as critical recommendations from activists, academics, practitioners, organizers, advocates, and lawyers, many of whom are personally connected to the communities most deeply affected by the post–September 11 backlash in America. The September 11 moment transformed many of us personally. Before September 11, we were students, budding activists, and lawyers ready to launch careers. After September 11, many of us found new energy and a new focus. We became spokespersons, organizers, thought leaders, and coalition-builders.

While our perspectives represent only a sliver of the national engagement with the September 11 moment, they provide an understanding of how Arab American, Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian communities in particular have been altered in America. For our communities, the last decade has been riddled with challenges. Community members have faced forced detentions and deportations, bullying at schools, workplace discrimination, and racial profiling by national, state, and local security forces and law enforcement personnel. Small businesses have closed and families have left their homes in the United States for more hospitable places abroad. Many community members continue to live in the shadows, not wanting to risk any public attention—you can hear echoes of their stories and experiences in the words of those of us privileged enough to be able to participate in a forum such as Race/Ethnicity.

The September 11 moment not only transformed individuals, institutions, and policies in our country, but also challenged and changed the way that we approach the concept of race. National origin, ethnicity, and religion have in many circumstances become proxies and stand-ins for race. The targeted [End Page viii] individuals facing state-based discrimination and violence are reminiscent of the Japanese American internment during World War II, the “othering” of African Americans, and the marginalization of Latino immigrants. Government programs implemented in the wake of September 11 use national origin—with particular attention to people from South Asian and Middle Eastern countries—as a reason to question, profile, and investigate individuals for connections to terrorist activities. Sikhs and Muslims are routinely pulled aside for additional scrutiny at airports. Our contributors interrogate how concepts of race in the United States have shifted, how fundamental principles such as the freedom to practice one’s religion have been eroded, and how the War on Terror continues to have consequences that future generations will need to address.

As I write this introduction, I am deeply aware that our communities continue to experience a level of xenophobia and racism that recalls the days and months immediately after September 11. The Park51 Community Center controversy, the restrictions on mosque constructions from New Jersey to Tennessee to California, and congressional and state hearings singling out the Muslim community are all fueling negative public sentiment toward Muslims and those perceived to be Muslims.

Yes, our country has a long road ahead of us. But as the contributors to this issue point out, we have the opportunity now to learn from...

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