As we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we commemorate the devastation wrought by both the terrorist attacks and their broader aftermath—memorializing not only the lives who were lost on that day, but all those who have been affected by violence, hate, and discrimination since. This milestone anniversary is an opportunity not just for reflection, but for action.

In consultation with partners at the South Asian Coalition and allies, the Sikh Coalition has created a state- and local-level resolution/proclamation toolkit as well as five federal ‘targeted action’ campaigns. Read more and take action below, and please visit www.25-yearslater.org to learn about a broader set of policy priorities related to the Global War on Terror and the post 9/11 climate.

State and Local Action

As the nation approaches the 25th anniversary, you can take action by proposing a state- or local-level resolution or proclamation to recognize the experiences of impacted communities in the post 9/11 era, reaffirm a commitment to combat hate, protect the civil rights and religious freedom of everyone regardless of their identities, and safeguard all communities through equitable and responsive policies. Such resolutions/proclamations emphasize state- and local-level governments’ critical roles in charting a better future for the next 25 years, and they are simple, accessible way for individuals to be more civically involved in their own communities

Use our free resolution/proclamation toolkit—which includes draft language for outreach to elected officials and the resolution itself—to get started, and email advocacy@sikhcoalition.org if you have questions or need assistance.

Federal Action

To be sure, some of the bigotry against Muslim, Arab, Sikh, South Asian, Hindu, and other communities in the aftermath of 9/11 was the result of individual actions like hate crimes, acts of workplace discrimination, or bias-based bullying. Still, we cannot ignore the fact that elected officials also advanced deeply harmful policies that implicated entire communities, at home and abroad, in the name of national security and the global “war on terror.” The effects of many of these policies, and often the policies themselves persist today—but it is within our power to change that.

Use the tools linked below to send a message to your elected officials in Congress urging them to show leadership on these critical priorities.

  • Pass H. Res. 741, a community-facing 9/11 resolution: This resolution, introduced in 2025 to mark the 24th anniversary of 9/11, calls on the U.S. government to acknowledge wrongdoing against our communities in the post-9/11 environment and convene an independent commission to craft recommendations on repealing harmful policies.  
  • Pass the NO BAN Act: As we have seen in the past 10 years specifically, the executive branch currently has the power to design and implement racist and xenophobic travel bans, including those targeting Muslims. The NO BAN Act (H.R. 924 / S. 398) would limit the President’s authority to suspend or restrict groups of people from entering the United States; it further prohibits religious discrimination in various immigration-related decisions.
  • Pass the Improving Reporting to Prevent Hate Act (IRPHA): Knowing where hate crimes occur in our country is the first step to crafting better policies to stop them—but hate crime data at the national level is woefully incomplete. IRPHA (H.R. 2558 / S. 3724) would require state and local law enforcement organizations to report hate crime data to the FBI annually; those that do not report, or report zero hate crimes, would be required to conduct public education campaigns in order to maintain eligibility for certain federal funding.
  • Repeal the 2001 and 2002 AUMFs: The 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) is the broadest war authorization in the history of the United States; together with the 2002 AUMF, which authorized the invasion of Iraq, it has been used by administrations from both parties for 25 years to expand the Global War on Terror into new countries. Repealing both AUMFs is an essential step to stopping endless armed conflicts and the so-called “global war on terror.”
  • Refuse to Reauthorize Section 702 of FISA: Congress recently neglected to reauthorize a previously bipartisan—and deeply harmful—portion of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Since 2008, Section 702 has allowed the U.S. Intelligence Community to legally conduct warrantless surveillance on persons outside the United States and, in doing so, “incidentally” surveil people inside the United States that those non-U.S. persons are communicating with. It is critical that this authority be left in the past where it belongs.