lives and health to save others. long after the building's bell, these heroes stayed to sift through the rubble -- long after the buildings fell, these heroes stayed to sift through the rubble. in the aftermath of 9/11, immediately san franciscans took pride in knowing that our firefighters were on the first airplane out to new york to contribute to the rescue and recovery, to share in the grief, and to lend a helping hand. every day is a day we are indebted to our first responders, our men and women in uniform who keep us safe. weeks ago, we all came together to honor benny and tony. we honor them every day. we know that we are in your debt because every day you take risks for us.

for all those who responded to 9/11, that is why the president signed the health and composition at to secure the health and well-being of those who cleaned up at ground zero after 9/11. it is by the light of their example that americans joined in a national day of service and remembrance to mark this anniversary. i commend our first responders here for making this second saturday in september a day of service. it happens to coincide this year with the eve of 9/11. earlier this year, members of congress and people from across the country -- we had the privilege to help stitch the flag that flew over ground zero

on that fateful day. some people decided they would have the flag for the country. everyplace it went, it was mended with portions of other flags, with fragments of our history. for those of us who have the privilege of stitching the fly, included blue threads from the flag that cover the body of abraham lincoln after he was assassinated. that was another great tragedy that befell our nation. think of it, been unified across the generations, across the country, across communities, by this flag. when i saw the blue threads from abraham lincoln's memorial flag, i was reminded of the speech he made early on where he talked about the silent artillery of time.

for the families, friends, and loved ones of those who died on 9/11, may be silent artillery of time help to diminish their pain and grief. but time will never diminish the respect we have for the memory of those who perished and those who came to their rescue. 10 years ago, we lost many people. today and in the future, we will never forget them. that is for sure. the tragedy of september 11 will always be emblazoned in the hearts, minds, and on the character of america. i join our chaplain in invoking god's blessing on the memory of those we lost. may god bless our first responders, all of you and those who serve, and your families. may god continue to bless the united states of america. when i leave here, i will go to the airport and go to new york

to be part of our congressional delegation to join the president in the observance at ground zero. i will take with me in the profound statements and sentiments i see here today and see every day in response to 9/11. thank you for that connection to our great country and that concern for the american people. again, may god bless you. may god bless america. thank you. [applause] >> thank you, speaker. i would like to introduce our next speaker, the chief of the firefighters, chief joanne hayes-white. [applause] >> good morning. thank you for all being here. i would like to acknowledge the

president of the police officers association and the president of local 798. captain tom o'connor. thank you for organizing this even today. i would also like to acknowledge mayor lee and congresswoman pelosi for your unwavering support for our members and first responders and always prioritizing public safety. as we reflect on the tragedy of september 11, 2001, we will never forget that nearly 3000 innocent victims lost their lives and the soul of the nation was changed forever. we have vividly remember the horrific sides of the world trade center in new york, at the pentagon in virginia, and at the crash site in pennsylvania. hundreds of those who perished where people sworn to serve and protect. 343 firefighters, 50 law

enforcement officers, 37 from the port authority pd, and others from new york pd. we each remember that day. we remember the tragedy we face as a nation under attack. we also remember how we came together a san franciscans, neighbors, and partners. the city came together as a family to ensure that all those were safe and that our loved ones were free from harm. one of the most important ways to honor the memory of the innocent victims is to continue to strengthen our collective effort, to maintain vigilance, to enhance our preparedness, response, and recovery efforts. it is a shared responsibility. we all play a role in being resilienct neighborhoods, citie, and states that are a foundation for a strong nation. we can accomplish much more when we work together. over the last decade, incredible progress has been made in integrating collaboration into

our culture. i see the elements of the nerd program. the red cross is here today. thank you for being here today and being part of the solution and effort. >> the chief of police. >> good morning. i would also like to thank you for joining us here today as we honor the americans lost their lives 10 years ago. is an american tradition to honor fellow citizens who have made the ultimate sacrifice. congresswoman pelosi quoted abraham lincoln earlier. i think what he also said 150 years at the dedication of the national cemetery at gettysburg applies as much today as it did then. lincoln said that the world will little note nor long remember what we said here, but it can never forget what they did. over 2900 people were killed 10 years ago in the attacks on the world trade center.

for the 16 of those who perished or our brother and sister firefighters -- 416 of those who perished work our brother and sister firefighters. 25,000 other lives worse. because of them. none of us will ever forget where we were on the morning of september 11, 2001. at police headquarters in san francisco, we watched in horror as the images were replayed on every channel. we learned one of the airplane is believed to be hijacked was heading to san this is good. later, we learned flight 93 went down in pennsylvania. in the days that followed, we heard stories of incredible heroism in which the passengers engaged and saved the lives of others. as we came to grips with the events of that day, a recurring theme emerged.

all those police officers and firefighters rushed into the burning buildings as everyone else was trying to get out. i think we were equally surprised at fire stations and police departments around the country. what did they think we would do? as first responders, we are sworn to russia in 1 everyone rushes out. that is what we do every day -- we are sworn to rushed in with everyone else rushes out. that is what we do every day. we're proud to be police and firefighters. we were also proud to be americans. we remember the sacrifices made that day. let us remember again the words of abraham lincoln that we show increased devotion to the cause for which they gave their last full measure of devotion trade we will highly resolve that these dead will not have died in vain.

this will be with us every day. remember how we came together as a country 10 years ago? young people volunteered in record numbers to defend this country. american flags seemed to be everywhere almost in an instant. they adorned every uniform, clifford every house, every car antenna, and were spread -- flew from every house and car antennae. the public said thank you in every way they could. we need to come together and stay together to keep the memory of our fallen brethren alive. we are committed to making this city safe. i want to thank everyone who made today's remembrance possible. i pray that we always remember 10 years ago today so that the

memory of those who perished will never be forgotten. [applause] >> the president of the san francisco firefighters local 798. [applause] >> 10 septembers have come and gone. no changing of the season's can erase the images of that day. no passage of time to take away the meaning of this moment. again we pause and remember. we remember the lives lost. on the day that marks the senseless deaths, we try to recall the beauty of the lives the victims lived. the memorial's today and tomorrow allow us to remember their time on earth and tell their families and loved ones we have not forgotten them and that we never will. we especially on those who gave their lives so that others could live.

we are the brave men and women who rushed into harm's way. we pay tribute to the sacrifice made and the courage displayed by police officers and firefighters rushing into the burning towers and pentagon. we watched in horror as the towers collapsed knowing that our colleagues were inside. those are acts of heroism the nation will never forget. it is natural for us to focus on those images and that morning. throughout history, images serve as defining moments. the images of the airplanes crashing into the towers, the debris cascaded through manhattan, the smoke rising from the pentagon, and firefighters and police officers rushing upstairs while others rushed out. there are other images we should remember as well. there are images from the days after september 11. a young boy wearing a plastic fire helmet standing guard. a little girl leaving flowers outside american embassy in moscow.

candlelight vigils held across the world. 100,000 canadians gathering in ottawa, all of these people sharing and our sorrow. the images we should remember our that the most terrific ax imagine brought out the most noble among those around the globe. today it brings out the most noble again. let us stand strong with that spirit. let us not focus on the evil of that day but on the capacity for that dwells inside all of us. that may be the greatest moral we can participate in for those who perished. that may be the greatest way to honor all of those who were taken from us on that day. let us focus on our impulse to say, serve, and demonstrate compassion and understanding. iseptember10 septembers have cod

gone and left the fat-- left usa legacy to remember and serve others. that is our duty for this september and for a lifetime of septembers. thank you. [applause] >> in the years that have followed 9/11, our country has faced many challenges. despite two assertions and our 10-year involvement in the middle east, much controversy and paint has taken place -- much controversy and pain has taken place.

we must remember that there is more that unites us than divides us and their release has been. in the sons and daughters of the greatest generation, being part of a democracy that was created by immigrants and maintained over the last 250 years by americans, we have found ourselves to be strong, determined, powerful, and brazilian people whose strength has been and always will be our diversity and the democratic process that allows us to debate and express our ideas in a free and open society. we thank all of you very much today for coming here and sharing with us on our day of solemn remembrance of 9/11, 200 1. i think we have heard sirens behind us at least five times. we have heard officers

responding to the needs of san franciscans. that is what we will continue to do to are the people of san francisco. i would ask all of us to join the velvet voice of the sfpd in singing "god bless america. " >> >> ♪ us swear allegiance to a land that is free let us all be grateful for a land sof fair as we raise our voices in a solemn prayer

god bless america, land that i love, stand beside her and guide her through the night with the light from above from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam, god bless america, my home, sweet home god bless america, my home -- our home sweet home ♪ [applause]

>> present arms. ♪ [bugles playing "taps"] ♪

♪ [bagpipes adnd drums] ♪

>> i am the director of visual arts programming at intersection for the arts. intersection for the arts is based in san francisco and has always been an organization that looks at larger social political issues through the lens of practice, and we are here today at our exhibition of "chico and chang." the original inspiration was drawn from a restaurant chain in new york city. half of their menu is -- what struck me was the graphic pictures and a man in a hat on a rig truck carrying take that

time is containers and in the black sea to representation of a mexican guy wearing a sombrero and caring a somali horn. it struck me that these two large, very subversive complex cultures could be boiled down to such simple representations. chico and chang primarily looks at four topic areas. one of the man was is whose stories are being told and how. one of the artisans in the show has created an amazing body of work working with young adults calling themselves the dreamers. another piece of the exhibition talks about whose stories of exhibition are actually being told. one artist created a magnificent sculpture that sits right in the center of the exhibition. >> these pieces are the physical

manifestation of a narrative of a child in memory. an important family friend give us a dining table, very important, and we are excited about it. my little brother and i were 11, 14. we were realizing that they were kind of hand prints everywhere on the bottom where no one would really see, and it became this kind of a weakening of what child labor is. it was almost like an exercise to show a stranger that feeling we had at that moment. >> the second thing the exhibition covers is how the allocation is defined, a great example on the theme, sculpture called mexicali culture. another bay area artist who has

done residencies in china and also to what, mexico. where immigrant communities really helped define how businesses look of a business' sign age and interior decoration, her sculptural piece kind of mismatches the two communities together, creating this wonderful, fantastical future look at what the present is today. first topic is where we can see where the two communities are intersecting and where they start colliding. teresa fernandez did a sculptural installation, utilizing the ubiquitous blue, white, and read patterns of a rayon bag that many communities used to transport laundry and laundromats to buy groceries and such. she created a little installation kind of mucking up the interior of a household, covering up as many objects that are familiar to the i and the

fabric. fourth area of investigation that the exhibition looks at is the larger concerns of the asian and latin communities intersecting with popular cultur one best example -- when he's exemplified is what you see when you enter into the culture. >> this piece refers to restaurants in tijuana. when you are driving, to speak chinese and you read chinese characters. you see these signs. i was trying to play with the idea of what you see and the direction you read. when you start mixing these different groups of people, different cultures, i like the idea.