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What is an American hero?

Enrique Iglesias performs "Hero" 10 days after 9/11.

What is an American hero? Sometimes American heroes are famous. However, as we well know, all famous people are not heroes.

As we honor the 20th anniversary of 9/11, let us celebrate American heroes whose names we may not know, including the first responder, victim, family and citizen.


September 11 is forever etched in the souls of those of us who witnessed the event.

Ten days after 9/11, Enrique Iglesias performed 'Hero' for the 'America: A Tribute to Heroes' telecast. It is a profoundly moving rendition of a beautiful song, and you can watch his performance at the top of this post.

The Fulcrum will be exploring American heroes in greater depth in the coming months. Who is your American hero? What does the term American hero mean to you? What are the characteristics of a hero that you admire and aspire to? We would love to hear from you. Please feel free to share your thoughts via email at newsroom@fulcrum.us.


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Family First: How One Program Is Rebuilding System-Impacted Families

Close up holding hands

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Family First: How One Program Is Rebuilding System-Impacted Families

“Are you proud of your mother?” Colie Lavar Long, known as Shaka, asked 13-year-old Jade Muñez when he found her waiting at the Georgetown University Law Center. She had come straight from school and was waiting for her mother, Jessica Trejo—who, like Long, is formerly incarcerated—to finish her classes before they would head home together, part of their daily routine.

Muñez said yes, a heartwarming moment for both Long and Trejo, who are friends through their involvement in Georgetown University’s Prisons and Justice Initiative. Trejo recalled that day: “When I came out, [Long] told me, ‘I think it’s awesome that your daughter comes here after school. Any other kid would be like, I'm out of here.’” This mother-daughter bond inspired Long to encourage this kind of family relationship through an initiative he named the Family First program.

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FBI Search of Reporter Marks Alarming Escalation Against the Press
The Protect Reporters from Excessive State Suppression (PRESS) Act aims to fill the national shield law gap by providing two protections for journalists.
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FBI Search of Reporter Marks Alarming Escalation Against the Press

The events of the past week have made the dangers facing a free press even harder to ignore. Journalists Don Lemon and Georgia Fort (who is also the vice president of the Minneapolis chapter of the National Association of Black Journalists) were indicted for covering a public event, despite a judge’s earlier refusal to issue an arrest warrant.

Press‑freedom organizations have condemned the move as an extraordinary escalation, warning that it signals a willingness by the government to use law‑enforcement power not to protect the public, but to intimidate those who report on it. The indictment of Lemon and Fort is not an isolated incident; it is part of a broader pattern in which the administration has increasingly turned to subpoenas, warrants, and coercive tactics to deter scrutiny and chill reporting before it ever reaches the public.

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Police tape and a batch of flowers lie at a crosswalk.
Police tape and a batch of flowers lie at a crosswalk near the site where Renee Good was killed a week ago on January 14, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Getty Images, Stephen Maturen

Who Is Made To Answer When ICE Kills?

By now, we have all seen the horrific videos—more than once, from more than one angle.

The killings of Renée Nicole Good and Alex Jeffrey Pretti weren’t hidden or disputed. They happened in public, were captured on camera, and circulated widely. There is no mystery about what occurred.

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