Acknowledgments
This project would never have come to fruition without the incredible guidance, support, and confidence bestowed on me by mentors, friends, family, and colleagues. It is an honor to be able to express my appreciation for all the people whose encouragement over the years has made this book possible. I began working on this project as a doctoral student at New York University in the late 1990s—a magical place populated and inspired by a brilliant assembly of faculty and students. A special thank you to Jamie Wilson and Mireille Miller-Young, who went through the program with me and whose joy for life, intellectual camaraderie, and friendship have anchored me ever since. For sharing the fun of intellectual community and exchange, thank you Valeria Coronel, Betsy Esch, Christopher Winks, Kim Gilmore, Dayo Gore, Bryant Terry, Forrest Hylton, Jasmine Mir, Peter Hudson, Eric McDuffie, Orlando Plaza, Rich Blint, Daniel Inouyé, Adria Imada, Julie Sze, Grace Wang, Victor Viesca, Hillina Seife, Sobukwe Odinga, Michelle Chase, Dan Rood, David Kinkela, Seth Markle, Ted Sammons, Khary Polk, Njoroge Njoroge, and Kobi Abayomi. I am deeply indebted to Robin D. G. Kelley for his generosity of spirit, intellectual rigor, and political commitment—a beautiful person whose example since my undergraduate days has shaped the kind of scholar I aspire to be, and whose support has helped me get to where I am today. A warm thank you to Sinclair Thomson for consistently 229
