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It was my first day at the NTIC. I was in the process of decorating the wall next to my work area with photos, posters, buttons and other memorabilia from my past organizing experiences. I was perched on a chair and trying to tack up a large bright red flag on the wall. It had in its center the black thunderbird of the United Farm Workers union. The flag was from my first organizing campaign with the UFW in California. I was focused on not falling off the chair and also lost in my thoughts about how my desk and wall 'were looking good!'

"What's that flag and why are you hanging that up on the wall?" Cincotta's voice boomed from her desk in the front of the office breaking through my self-absorbed reverie.

I shouted my explanation back to her while wobbling on the chair.

"You are balkanizing our office with that flag," was her loud, judgmental response. "We have a flag in our office - the American flag!" she shouted while gesturing with her thumb to the stars and stripes in back of her chair. "There are so many things that pull people apart in our country and we need to be pulling people together by having common symbols and English as our common language."

I would argue with her and lay out my views about how the "hard hats" and Nixon used the U.S. flag during the Viet Nam war to put down any protest as being un-American. I continued that the Klan used the flag when they marched around the country courthouse in Alabama in an attempt to terrorize African Americans into not registering to vote.

She shot back that we needed to reclaim the flag and reclaim America.

I heard that same view from her many times and jokingly referred to it as Gale's "birufication of America" speech. But in light of the recent horrific terrorist attacks upon two important cities in our country I can only of think how right she was.

At the NPA national conference, Gale always insisted that there be an American flag on the stage next to the leadership team. At the beginning of the plenary session, she always led everyone in reciting "The Pledge of Allegiance."

For 30 years, NPA has flown the American flag and has brought a diverse group of grass roots leaders together to fight for their neighborhoods.

Over the years, some former HUD officials publicly labeled NPA as a group of "urban terrorists" and Drug Czar officials questioned the patriotism of its leaders because we dared go after former General Barry McCaffrey, Drug Czar and war hero.

Often on the hits and in the first meetings with the targets, the NPA leadership team, including Gale and Ann Devenney of the Bronx, would respond:

"Don't be afraid, we are not going to hurt you! We are not terrorists. We want to meet with you to talk about how we can work together to make our country a better place. We don't want government subsidies. We want capitalism to work for us in our neighborhoods - with the banks making good loans. Don't you dare question our patriotism. We have sent our sons off to VietNam and our husbands fought in World War II."

After the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, DC on Sep. 11, I spent a lot of time reading the newspaper, listening to the radio and watching the news reports on television. I was disgusted by the carnage. I was also amazed when I heard a savvy veteran reporter, Daniel Schorr (who was on Nixon's 'enemy list') saying on public radio that "he was surprised by the response of Americans in showing unity and having a sense of community."

My amazement stemmed from my 30 years of experience with community organizing and having worked with grass roots leaders who have built unity and community through their neighborhood organizations and at the national level with NPA. I wondered how this normally insightful news correspondent could not know what was going on in the neighborhoods. Then it occurred to me. Why would he know about what is going on in our neighborhoods as his focus has always been on foreign policy?

NPA is America's best-kept secret. Therefore NPA could very well be America's secret weapon in the "war against terrorism." Neighborhood organizing is what gives me hope in these troubled times. NPA is what gives me strength to go on. I have seen all kinds of people coming together from their neighborhoods to the national conference fighting to make America a better place.

It's the unsung heroes I remember and I want to mention just a few of the thousands, who have marched with NPA.

Brenda La Blanc from Des Moines, Iowa, taking on the bankers at the "Battle of New Orleans." Ann Devenney, from the densely populated northwest Bronx in New York City, helping "Reclaim America."

Abdul Kareem Ali, a devout Muslim from St. Petersburg, FL working on the jobs issue. Rev. Elizabeth Bynum from the westside of Chicago, fighting for lower utility rates. Inez Killingsworth, fighting on FHA issues from Cleveland, OH and Emira Palacios fighting for immigrants' rights in Wichita, KS.

Molly Brown, a senior citizen from Cleveland, who had her doctor drain her knee and give her a shot of cortesone so she could go on the NPA hits in her fight for lower prescription drug costs. Jodi Jones from a tiny town in rural Iowa, fighting on the drug issue and Hyacinth Yennie from Hartford, CT pushing for money for school construction.

Finally in the fight to save the Community Reinvestment Act, I remember Aggie Brose from Pittsburgh, PA and T.C Calvert, from San Antonio, TX standing shoulder to shoulder in front of Sen. Phil Gramm's house in Washington, DC letting him know why the CRA matters to neighborhoods.

Neighborhood based community organizing is now more important than ever to keep America strong and united. And at the 31st annual NPA neighborhoods conference, the American flag will be up front and we will be taking care of business as usual - bringing people together to make our neighborhoods and America a better place.