Acknowledgements

To the many who kindly, generously, steadfastly have journeyed with me:

My utmost gratitude.

Foremost, Bill, Lucille and Michael Porter.

Yet, being abundantly blessed, I also THANK and deeply appreciate…Murray Huff, Herman Malone, Katherine C. Wood, Darlene Anderson, James A. Tolbert, Rene Gash, Gerald Hamel, Linda J. Williams, Tony Brown, Amma Khalil, Les Buffham, Phyllis L. Duran, Jane Johnson, Laurie Johnson, George O. Love, Jerry and Laura Malugeon, Mario Powe, Bob and Maureen Lucas, Roho (Don Davis), Jan Shure-Hurwitz, Eszylfie Taylor, Al Avery, Sam Williams, George Sumpter, Steve and Julie Eisold, Frank Foster, Gillian Contee, Judith Briles, Kathy Meis, Meredith Day, Rebecca Finkel, Rev. Dr. Johnie L. Carlisle, The Colorado Black Firefighters, Gregory Hamlin, Sharon Francis, Hadiya Evans, Carl Dixon, Loretta Robinson, Wallace Yvonne Tollette, Sharon Daniels, Gary Losh, Sally Cameron, Jerome Powell, Bee Harris, Suzanne Gruber, Phillip Romero, Andrietta Garner, Nancy Lund, Norma Paige, Bill Dornan, Carolyn Schrader, Carliss Binder, Cathy Langer, Margaret Noteman, Charles Lewis, Denise Anderson, Ermine Johnson, Gloria Hine, James LaRue, Lenora Alexander, Anthony Clark, Mohammad Malik, Art Pempleton, James D. West, Topaz McBride, Talbert Bartholomew, Naomi Lawrence, Cleola Spikes, Frank Kemp, Daryl Bonds, Wendy Birhanzel, Nicholas Dawkins, Joyce Bowman, Donald Rice, Visteria Whitlow, John Marsh, Wiley and Ida Daniel, Pat Rogers, Penny L. May, Carol Ann Reed, and each one of my amazing and wonderful students.

And then there are those for whom my words are entirely inadequate…Joelle Miller, Lee Dora Smith, Gay Fliegler, Eric Hughes, Adonia Goodall, Vance Johnson, Robert Howard, Angela Singleton, Terry McMillan, Everett Brinson, Charleszine “Terry” Nelson, Joyce Meskis, Wellington and Wilma Webb, Nicholas DeSciose, Mike Dobrash, and Angelique Acevedo-Barron. Most especially, Janice Idell Jarrett.