Fifteen years ago, as a nation, we experienced one of the worst tragedies in history. We remember, we honor and we will not forget.

How could our nation, only 15 years later, forget about the evil that comes from lack of acceptance? How can we forgot about how that tragedy united us?

How have we gone back so easily to judging religious groups? A prejudice of skin color? Yes that day proved to us that evil can come, but that day also showed us that our whole country can come together, no matter who we are, to show us as American citizens that we are proud to be Americans.

Firefighters went into the towers that day, knowing they probably would not come back out alive. American citizens, giving up their own lives, for just the slightest chance that they could possibly save someone. That is America. That is who we are.

How have we gone back so easily to this hatred? Hatred of others because they are different, hatred because we are scared. But on this day, instead of hating out of fear, we fought and we strengthened.

There's hatred in our country right now among sexual orientation, hatred among gender identity, among ethnicity and religion. There's even, specifically, hatred about the way that we look.

I have caught myself judging others, when I know I shouldn't.

Fifteen more years from now, I want to sit down with my kids and tell them about this day. Tell them how America conquered, even when others tried to tear us down. I want to tell them that thousands of selfless people acted out of pure courage to try and help, because that's who we are as Americans. But I also want to let them know that hatred is not the answer.

We need to remember because we need to remind ourselves of what we stand for. We need to remind ourselves that hope is the one thing stronger than fear. We need to remember the lives that we lost, and for them we remain strong.

Today we honor them. Tonight we remind ourselves to never forget.