The United States marked the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks with somber memorials across the country. Saturday’s memorial service in New York City began with a moment of silence at 8:46 a.m., the moment the first of two planes struck the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. Relatives then read the names of the victims of the attacks. President Joe Biden was in attendance. Ahead of the memorial, he released a video message calling for national unity.

President Joe Biden: “To the families of the 2,977 people from more than 90 nations killed on September 11th, 2001, in New York City, Arlington, Virginia, and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and the thousands more who were injured: America and the world commemorate you and your loved ones, the pieces of your soul. We honor all those who risked and gave their lives in the minutes, hours, months and years afterwards.”

Later on Saturday, Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at the Flight 93 National Memorial in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

Vice President Kamala Harris: “In America, our diversity is our strength. At the same time, we saw after 9/11 how fear can be used to sow division in our nation, as Sikh and Muslim Americans were targeted because of how they looked or how they worshiped.”

Biden and Harris also visited Arlington, Virginia, to lay a wreath at the site of the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon.