09/11/2026
Twenty-five years ago, the Sept. 11 attacks took 2,977 lives and left families, communities, and a nation confronting profound grief, fear, and trauma.
In the days that followed, CJP faculty and staff asked: “As professional peacebuilders and educators, what do we have to contribute to a world in the shadow of these events?”
Their "Beyond September 11th" reflections urged thoughtful response rather than reaction: to grieve the lives lost, attend to trauma, resist dehumanization, question the rush to war, and seek forms of justice capable of interrupting, rather than perpetuating, cycles of harm.
Twenty-five years later, fear and collective trauma continue to be mobilized to divide communities and justify violence. The anti-Muslim prejudice and sweeping “us versus them” narratives that intensified after Sept. 11 remind us how readily the search for security can undermine the dignity and safety of others.
One enduring response to 9/11 was the creation of Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR), developed by CJP with CWS (Church World Service) and support from Mennonite Disaster Service and other faith-based organizations. What began as a response to that moment has equipped people around the world to recognize trauma, interrupt cycles of violence, and cultivate resilience.
Today, we remember those whose lives were taken on Sept. 11 and all those harmed in the violence and wars that followed. We recommit ourselves to building security through dignity, justice, healing, and relationship.
Read CJP’s reflections from 2001: https://emu.edu/cjp/resources/beyond-september-11th
Read the story of STAR’s beginnings and continuing impact: https://mds.org/story/25-years-after-sept-11-tragedy-star-program-still-shines/
