Special Message from American Airlines President Don Carty
This is Don Carty with a special hotline for Wednesday, September 12th, 2001.
Today, we begin another chapter at American Airlines as we begin to recover from the darkest day in our company's history. It will be a long time before any of us forget the enormity of yesterday's horror -- the hijackings and the human misery they caused.
Today, we'll work to get the airline running again. Our CARE team members will continue helping the families of our customers and co-workers. We'll start the long process of recovery, because we must - both for the traveling public and for ourselves.
It won't be easy, and it will be made harder by the many emotions we'll feel as more and more human stories of this tragedy emerge. We can expect to feel angry, horrified, grief-stricken, and more than a little violated at the inhuman, contemptible acts that unfolded against our airline, our people and our country yesterday.
There is one emotion, however, that we must avoid at all costs, and I'm not going to mince words or talk around this issue in politically correct ways, because I think it's important to be absolutely candid about it. That emotion is hatred.
It is far too easy in the early days of a tragedy like this to make assumptions and channel our emotions inappropriately. My fear is that it will be all too easy to direct our collective grief, anger and shock in ways that treat our Arab, Muslim and other Middle Eastern employees and customers with less than the absolute courtesy and respect that they deserve -- because of stereotypes that we know in our heads and hearts are just not true.
We simply cannot do that. Muslims and Arabs are our co-workers and our customers -- and they grieve over this tragedy as well.
We absolutely need to stay together in the days and weeks ahead - and rely on each other more than ever. I ask you all to please remember that.
And if you feel that these emotions are overwhelming you, please talk to someone -- a friend, our employee assistance hotline, or an EAP rep personally. That's why they're here, and it's not a sign of weakness to want to talk these things out.
You can hear Don Carty's hotline by calling (800) AA-CARTY or (800) 222-2789.
Palestine Affairs Council