---Keeping hope alive-
As the U.S. recovers from the tragic 'Attack on America', UnityFirst.com extends its prayers to the world community who are affected by this devastating incident. Our hopes are that families feel assured that justice will prevail and that a more peaceful world will emerge. A special thanks to every person around the globe who has taken their time, talent or resources to help in any way. Also, a special thanks to our spiritual guides for assuring that we make it through this difficult time victoriously. UnityFirst.com encourages readers to keep the communication lines open so that we can support and inspire each other, while sharing information that will enable us to learn a little more about the diversity in and around our communities. Above all, let us love each other unconditionally, let us build a future we can all be proud of, let us respect each other for who we are, let us learn about differences we each represent, and let us celebrate the common heritage we share. Justice should be our passion, love should be our guide, and a relationship with God should be our priority.

---Arab Americans gratified by support----
The Arab American Institute (AAI) has been gratified by the overwhelming support that the community has received at this time of national mourning. Officials such as the President, Attorney General, Secretary of State, the U.S. Senate and ordinary Americans have taken time out to express their concern for Arab Americans and their belief that we are all one nation. The U.S. Senate, led by Senators Tom Harkin and Orrin Hatch, passed a unanimous resolution that stated, "The civil rights and civil liberties of all Americans, including Arab Americans and American Muslims, should be protected," and "condemn(ed) any acts of violence or discrimination against any Americans, including Arab Americans and American Muslims." This statement followed a meeting Arab Americans held with the Department of Justice. AAI is a national organization committed to the civic and political empowerment of Americans of Arab descent.

---Survey says---
According to a Gallup survey, 95% of Americans believe religious beliefs or spiritual practices are important in their own life. Also, Gallup reports that "Over the last 35 years, America has become the most religiously diverse nation on Earth. About one million immigrants entered the United States every year for the past decade and they have brought with them all the religions of the world. While the nation still remains more than 80 percent Christian, it is both a Christian country and a multi-religious society at the same time.

---U.S. Summit of African Leaders rescheduled---
Due to the recent tragic events, the U.S.-Africa Business Summit has been rescheduled for October 30-November 2, according to the Corporate Council on Africa (CCA). The Summit, organized by CCA, will be the largest gathering of African government and business leaders ever to convene in the United States (outside of the United Nations). The Summit was originally scheduled to take place in Philadelphia on September 16-20. Confirmed participants included 13 presidents, three prime ministers, the president of OPEC, and the U.S. Secretary of Commerce (scheduled to deliver a major address of the Administration's trade policy for Africa), as well as numerous officials from the multilateral to local levels. The roster of confirmed delegates includes over 1400 delegates, with representation from all 53 African nations. "Our nation and the world need time to mourn," said CCA President Stephen Hayes, "and many attendees would have encountered considerable travel and other logistical difficulties. We therefore believe that all participants in the U.S.-Africa Business Summit will be better served by this postponement." More than 180 American companies make up the Corporate Council on Africa which, since 1992, has been the leading private sector organization dedicated to strengthening trade and investment ties between the U.S. and Africa.

----From Michigan Attorney General Jennifer M. Granholm---
In the wake of this week's colossal violence in New York and Washington D.C., and amid reports of threats of violence against Arab Americans across the country and in Michigan, Michigan Attorney General Jennifer M. Granholm called on the entire statewide community to respect and to uphold the civil rights of all of Michigan's citizens. "We Michiganians share so much -- our home in this great state, our houses of worship, and our deep, deep grief. But what we share above all other things is our knowledge that we are not merely a collection of labels -- not simply 'African Americans,' or 'Arab Americans,' or 'Italian Americans' -- we are, first and foremost, Americans. We must also share a renewed commitment to reaching out to all of our American brothers and sisters in peace and in common support -- not in additional violence against one another. Our state cannot and will not tolerate harassment, intimidation, or aggression against any of our American brothers and sisters based solely on their ethnicity or their religion. In this nation where we all are the children of immigrants, our greatest strength lies in our diversity. In the days ahead, we will need that unified strength more than we know."

--- Congressman Alcee Hastings Advises The U.S. is Not Ready For Terrorism---The September 16 edition of Black Entertainment Television's political roundtable show, LEAD STORY, Representative Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL) warned that the United States is not prepared to combat future terrorist acts. A member of the Select Committee on Intelligence, Hastings also discussed the ramifications of Tuesday's attacks on the United States' policy on counterintelligence. Representative Hastings and former Secretary of the Army Togo West spoke to host Cheryl Martin and panelists George Curry (syndicated columnist), Clarence Page (Chicago Tribune) and Dywane Wickham (USA Today) about issues arising from the Tuesday's terrorist attacks on America. The following are excerpts from Representative Hastings' interview with Lead Story on American society's ability to have security from terrorism: "It is not comforting to know that we are not prepared for urban warfare on our shores. We are not prepared for sacrifice, we are not prepared for inconvenience, and I might add we may as well get prepared, because there is going to be more to come." Hastings also discussed his views on America's counter-terrorism policies: "The President is likely to revoke and rewrite the regulations that went into effect by executive order in 1976, when Gerald Ford stopped us from assassinating foreign leaders."

--- True story of George Washington's African American descendants ---Was the man known as the father of this country also the father of a slave? He was, according to Linda Allen Bryant, a descendant. Allen-Bryant's story is being told in a world premiere documentary on the History Channel titled, Family Tree, (on Sept. 17, 9:00 ET/PT). It is detailed in her book, "I Cannot Tell a Lie: The True Story of George Washington's African American Descendants" (iUniverse, , ISBN 0-595-17878-2) available in bookstores or online. See http://www.Westfordlegacy.com. "Mine is the first book to examine the claim that George Washington sired a mulatto son named West Ford. It details the secret oral history that has been passed down and closely guarded through six generations of Ford family chroniclers," says Allen-Bryant, granddaughter of West Ford four times removed. The claim of the Ford/Washington connection challenges two centuries of documented national history that records George Washington as a childless man. Is the story of West Ford one of history's hidden chapters? "Not anymore," says Allen-Bryant. "'I Cannot Tell a Lie' sets the record straight." "My book serves as documentation of our family heritage and gives people the chance to decide for themselves whether or not they believe that Washington planted the Ford family tree," says Allen-Bryant who spent the past 20 years meticulously researching the Ford history, gathering extensive documentation. Beginning with the birth of West Ford to a slave named Venus, Allen-Bryant follows subsequent generations of Fords; each faced with the emotional and sociopolitical challenges of their shared secret identity, and their struggles with issues of skin color and status in the respective eras in which they lived.

---Cincinnati racial profiling training postponed---
The National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) announced that out of respect for those who lost their lives in the tragedies in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, the 'Racial Profiling: A Symptom of Bias Based Policing Training and Town Meeting' that was scheduled for September 17-18, 2001 at the Omni Netherlands Plaza in Cincinnati, Ohio has been postponed until October 14-15, 2001. For information, call NOBLE's national office at 703-658-1529. NOBLE is an organization of approximately 8,000 primarily African-American law enforcement CEOs and command-level officials whose mission is to ensure equity in the administration of justice in the provision of public service to all communities, and to serve as the consciences of law enforcement by being committed to "Justice By Action."

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