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Acknowledgments
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Acknowledgments None of this is possible without God, who affords the possibility for any work I might accomplish. I give honor to him first. I dedicate this book to my father, Ronald L. Jackson Sr., for his spiritual and intellectual inspiration. I am also blessed and thankful for my brother, Bruce Jackson, and his constant uplift and friendship. I would be remiss if I left out my mother, Sharon Prather, whose amazing fortitude, perseverance, diligence, and relentless pursuit of happiness almost single-handedly helped me become who I am today. Without her I am not sure I would truly know the relationship between love, respect, manhood, and masculinity. Of course, I am ever grateful for the loving and unflinching support of my beautiful wife, Ricci Jackson, whom I have often called my “other rib.” You have to know the Bible to get that one. She is truly my helpmeet and soul mate. I owe many intellectual debts to those men who have directly or indirectly guided me in my thinking about culture, manhood, and masculinity. Those persons include my best friends Brad Hogue, Theo Coleman, Keith Wilson, CarlosMorrison,RamoneFord,WayneGersie,andTorrenceSparkman.Other colleagues whose intellectual guidance has been a wellspring of inspiration are Henry Giroux, Richard Wright, Molefi Asante, Eric Abercrumbie, Ken Ghee, Michael Hecht, Eric Watts, Jamie Moshin, Mark McPhail, Reggie Brazzile, Wilton Blake, the late Jeffrey Lynn Woodyard, and my co-editor Murali Balaji. There are others, but too many to name. You too are appreciated. Murali and I owe a special thanks to Joan Catapano at University of Illinois Press for her guidance of this project, and to all the copyeditors and staff at the press. Thanks again. RJ There are many people to thank, but I have limited space to share my full gratitude. I dedicate this book, along with everything I do in life, to my parents , my father Kodumudi and my mother Vijaya. My mother passed away before this book was published, but her spirit guides me every day. I also couldn’t exist without the support of Devi Ramkissoon and my siblings , my sister Lakshmi and brother Arvind. I owe a lot of this book’s creation to Ron, who has been my mentor and friend since I was a graduate student at Penn State. I also couldn’t have gained the valuable intellectual perspectives I have now without the guidance of Matt McAllister, Marie Hardin, and Emory Woodard, to name just a few. I also want to make this anthology a testament to all the men and women who have influenced my own masculinity. I think my conceptualization of manhood has changed dramatically in just the past five years, and I hope that I continue to learn more about what it means to be a man and what it is that encompasses my masculine identity. MB 10 . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...