ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Nearly twenty-five years ago, book sales rep and later literary agent Manie Barron, (1955–2011) reached out to me and inquired if I could transform the Black Holocaust Exhibit at the Shrines of the Black Madonna Cultural Center in Atlanta into a book. We agreed that it would be interactive, with documents from the exhibit that one could open, feel, and hold. Jim Becker, Andy Mayer, and the team at becker&mayer! took on the challenge of designing the book—with breathtaking results.

Thus was born Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa to Slavery and Emancipation. It was an award-winning best seller, with Freedom’s Children and We Shall Not Be Moved to follow. And then, as books do, they went away. However, the three books remained treasured items. I was always asked, “Will they ever come back into print?”

From deep within, I can now answer, “Yes.” To the equally creative, new group at becker&mayer! thank you for believing in the rebirth of Lest We Forget and its sequels. We have never met, yet you worked with me to combine the three books into the one, resonating volume. You kept the integrity of the interactive design, going on blind faith that the person in Atlanta knew what she was talking about. The ancestors are smiling. You will be blessed.

A special thank you to the Shrines of the Black Madonna and its Cultural Centers and Bookstores. We have weathered the storm of independent bookstores closing their doors and hold the light as a keeper of black culture. To my husband, Rev. Milton Ahdwele Fann, all my love. You let me be me, and always support my endeavors. To our son, Olu, (EarthGang™) continue to follow your dreams, as you remind me to follow mine. Thank you, Rev. Dr. Rueben Warren for your counsel and your friendship.

To Ewa OmoOba and Uwimana Olabisi, you’ve been there for me—and a lot has happened in twenty-five years. True friends are eternal, and sister-friends are the best! To my mom, Emma Daniels, and my sisters Eleanor Davis and Judge Deborah Thomas, thank you for being such awesome examples. You are warrior women who stand firm for what is just.

Thank you to the larger community who supported the original works. Lest We Forget: The Passage from Africa into the Twenty-First Century awaits an expanded audience, a new generation whose battles are different, yet inherently the same. Keep this edition close, read through it when times get tough, hold our history in your hands. Yes, the struggle continues… and we shall not be moved.