The Story Behind Stand for Our Foundation
I was nine when the towers came down in New York City. I can still remember my mom picking me up early from school, the same as a lot of kids. I remember worrying that my dad, who traveled a lot at the time, was on one of the planes. Beyond that, I really didn’t understand.
On January 6th, 2021, I was working, keeping half an eye on the Georgia senate election results. I would refresh the PBS NewsHour page every 30 or so minutes to check the live election map for updates. Then the results vanished, replaced by reports of a growing crowd around the Capitol Building.
I remember sitting with my parents that night, watching the news, and, like on September 11th, I didn’t understand. I didn’t understand how this could be happening. Supporters of the President of the United States of America were storming the U.S. Capitol Building to stop the counting of ballots in an election. Lawmakers were rushed out of their respective chambers for their own safety. All while the president himself did nothing.
That night, I knew I needed to write something. It took me a few drafts before I settled on Stand for Our Foundation. I wanted to speak to how fragile our system is. How delicate. How it only works if we all work together, something many in our nation have struggled with over the past several years.
We must stand together as one. If we allow our country to be poisoned by lies from within, it stands as much chance as the towers did. And we cannot let it fall.
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