A presentation by Mariama Williams at the International Women's Peace Colloquium sponsored by Barry University, the Adrian Dominicans Sisters and the Center of Concern at Barry University, Miami, Florida, July 2007.

On the morning of September 11, 2001, thousands died in terror and tens of thousands of families were ripped apart. The comfortable and comforting illusion of invulnerability securing the busy daily lives of most U.S. residents was suddenly and dramatically exploded. . . .  The symbolic meaning of the date–9-11–was not lost on us: we were in a state of emergency. We needed help.

The Center of Concern issued a special statement immediately after 9-11 through its newsletter, Center Focus.  After expressing grief, condolence, and prayer, it entreated the nation: "as the days pass and the healing begins, we urge the nation’s leaders from all walks of life to help us to grow in our understanding of the underlying factors that have brought this terror and tragedy into our lives, so that we can work more insightfully, more tirelessly, and more effectively for a world in which the peace of justice will be available to every person and terror will be no more.