Page xi →Acknowledgments

I owe a debt of gratitude to several persons and organizations who assisted me both directly and indirectly in unveiling the experiences of the men and women in this study. W. W. Law, who passed away fifteen years ago, and the Beach African American Cultural Center strengthened my commitment to writing about the experiences of rural African Americans. I am especially indebted to Law for sharing his wisdom and knowledge about the African American experience in Savannah. Gertrude Green, who worked incessantly with rural African Americans in Chatham County during the Great Depression, also shared her knowledge and insights about the Burroughs community and provided a deeper understanding of the plight of rural African Americans. I must also acknowledge the support that I received from Michael Sherman and the administrative services staff at the Chatham County Courthouse.

During the course of my teaching career at Savannah State University, I have had the good fortune to interact with several professors and community organizations who encouraged my work and supported my development as a professor and scholar. I am eternally grateful to Merolyn Stewart for her wisdom, patience, and foresight as chair of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences. I am likewise grateful to Otis Johnson, who supported and encouraged this project as dean of the Liberal Arts College. Johnson provided institutional support for research and study in Senegal, West Africa, which allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the African background of this study. I am indebted to Alusine Jalloh, director of the Africa program at the University of Texas, Arlington, for directing the study abroad and allowing me to participate. I have been enriched by the experience on several levels, the most important of which is my understanding of community.

The paradigm of community is central to this study. Community organizations assisted in sharing their history and traditions through an oral history project that I directed in 2001. The Sapelo Island Cultural and Revitalization Society and the Sapelo Island community opened their hearts and minds and shared their collective memories. I must thank Maurice Bailey, Cornelia Bailey, the Grovenors, Carolyn Douse, and all of the student participants in the Sapelo Island Oral History Project. An American Dissertation Fellowship from the American Association of University Page xii →Women (AAUW) provided needed funding to write this study. I am grateful to the AAUW for their support. I am grateful to several scholars who read portions of this manuscript and provided direction for revisions. Daryl Michael Scott, Edna Greene Medford, Julius Akinyele, and Janice Sumler Edmonson shared their time and insights, and this study is a reflection of their generosity.

I am indebted to the staff at the National Archives; the Special Collections staff at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Bowie State University’s Thurgood Marshall Library; and Savannah-Chatham County Live Oak Library for providing assistance accessing records and books used in this study. I must also acknowledge colleagues in the Department of History and Geography at Morgan State University, Towson University, and Bowie State University who vicariously aided in the completion of this study. I am indebted to several churches, which provided spiritual support: St. Paul Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, led by Pastor Henry Delaney; Overcoming by Faith, led by Pastor Ricky Temple; Immanuel’s Church, led by Pastor Charles Schmidt; and Reid Temple A.M.E. Church, led by Lee P. Washington.

Finally, this book would not have been possible without the support that I received from my family over several years of research and writing. My husband, Clarence, endured my absence and time away from family functions and family events during the writing of this study. My children, Chris, Kiara, and Clarence Jr., missed their mother on numerous occasions and had to contend with my preoccupation with book-related matters. Their patience and understanding allowed me to press on to write and complete this project.