Oddly, this vision started to come into focus after the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon on September 11, 2001. Americans rallied together in a way I had not seen before. Everyone was flying a flag. We spoke to one another, and exhibited a newfound sense of patience and grace for each other. It seemed like we were a single community. One America - One Us!

And, together, we despised anyone that could be called a foreign terrorist. Hatred is probably not too strong of a word. Americans hated ”them”.

…“Well, but not the immigrant guy that works in my community. Yeah, he’s okay… I know him!”

Through this experience I gained a practical realization that people are afraid of what they don’t understand. We hated people that we didn’t even know. But, we will cherish - and will even protect - what we do understand, those that we do know. The difference between “us” and “them” could be based simply on access and exposure.

Hence, our mission is to connect people – to information, to ideas, and to each other.