About this issue.

September 11, 2001. None of us will forget where we were the day terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners and flew two of them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in New York, and one into the Pentagon, in Washington, D.C. The world stopped and watched in horror as news of the assaults (including a fourth plane that was forced down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, by courageous passengers) broke over the airwaves. Many of us are still shaken--some of our editors actually witnessed the second plane plow into the World Trade Center as they were coming to work. Others of us were more personally affected by the staggering loss of thousands of productive lives and boundless intellectual capital. Moreover, businesses have been crippled and workers have been rendered jobless by this massive devastation of property and commerce that has drained billions from our nation's economy.

Yet, despite the tragedy, we've learned a valuable lesson: We have a remarkable ability to bounce back. On the following pages--and in daily reports on our blackenterprise.com Website--we reveal flesh-and-blood profiles of resilience, determination, and humanity. From Wall Street to Main Street, African American professionals and entrepreneurs--those affected directly and indirectly--were undaunted, keeping their business operations humming not only to meet payroll but also to provide assistance, service, and comfort to victims and their loved ones. For example, Kenneth I. Chenault, chairman and CEO of American Express and the only black to head a Dow 30 company, was among the business leaders selected by President George W. Bush to discuss efforts to rehabilitate the zone now dubbed Ground Zero, and ways to keep the economy moving forward. Jamir R. Couch, vice president of institutional sales, and Jarius DeWalt, executive vice president of corporate finance, at Wall Street-based M.B. Beal & Co., the 2001 BE Financial Company of the Year and No. 4 on the BE INVESTMENT BANKS list with $46.5 billion in total issues, worked tirelessly with New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's office and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to help burn victims by supplying local hospitals with a special wound-care product developed by one of their clients. And another financial services firm, Blaylock & Partners L.P. (No. 1 on the BE INVESTMENT BANKS list with $83.4 billion in total issues), offered office space to displaced companies that were housed at Ground Zero. There are countless examples of firms run and owned by African Americans that donated blood, clothing, money, and other valuable resources. "The aftermath of the attacks demonstrated that we can all pull together as Americans in a time of crisis," says Executive Editor Derek T. Dingle. "These inspiring stories of courage, resourcefulness, and self-sacrifice dearly communicate that black entrepreneurs and professionals represent a vital element in the American mainstream."

As the year comes to a close, we will continue to reflect on this tragedy and, in some way, involve ourselves in the physical, economic, and spiritual rebuilding process. As we do so, keep the following in mind: Whether our times offer peril or promise, we always stand strong as a people, a community, and a nation when we stand united. --The Editors