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Acknowledgments Generations in Black and White is a project I undertook with enthusiasm andtrepidation. Such volatile poles of feeling very often produce paralysis, and paralysis does not produce books. I wasfortunate, however, in that from conception to completion I stood on the shoulders of many, and as a consequence of this unwavering support I have produced a better and more satisfying book than I hadfirst imagined. I was introduced to Yale University's James Weldon Johnson Memorial Collection of Negro Arts and Letters by Michael S. Harper, the Israel J. Kapstein Professor of English at Brown University andPoet Laureate of Rhode Island. Iwish to thank Professor Harper for that timely introduction, which in retrospect was nothing less than an initiation into the valiant tradition of thought, service, andexcellence this volume seeks to honor, to celebrate, andto make more widely known. I also wish to thank Professor Harper for granting permission to reprint two of hisfinest poems. I owe special debts of gratitude to Professor Vera M. Kutzinski of Yale University, Professor Herman A. Beavers of the University of Pennsylvania, and Professor Bruce Kellner of Millersville University, all of whom recognized the value of this project even in its earliest stages andwhose generosity of spirit helped bring it to fruition. I wish to thank Patricia M. Willis and Steve Jones of Yale University's Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library for their cooperation in all stages of this project. I also wish to thank Joseph Solomon, executor of the Carl Van Vechten Estate, for granting permission to reprint Van Vechten's photographs in book form. I have read that strong and imaginative leadership in the publishingindustry is rapidly disappearing, but that tradition of leadershipcan still be found at the University of Georgia Press. Once again I am under anobligation to Karen K. Orchard, Executive Editor of the University of Georgia Press, for her editorial judgment andfaith in this project. I also wish to express my admiration for the professionalismof Madelaine Cooke and Sandra Hudson. Committed to producing a perfect book, Ms.Cooke maintained the very highest standards during all stages of copyediting. Once again, Ms. Hudson has designed a book that beautifully complements both language and imagery. As a member of the faculty at Emory University, it is my privilege to test and to explore ideas with exceptional students. Among those students isJeffrey B. Leak, who was by turns research assistant and colleague in the final stages of this project. I wish to acknowledge the forbearance andadvice of Henry A. Leonard during the various stages of this project. I also wish to acknowledge the encouragement of Meardis Cannon and other members of my family who refrained from attaching uncharitable XIII constructions upon my absences andforgetfulness asI sought to meet real and imagined deadlines. Finally, I wish to acknowledge the aid and good will of friends, most especially Richard A. Benson, Tyrone Cannon, Robert Carwell, Brenda Files, Craig Fort, Earl Gordon, Kemp Harris, Cecelia Corbin Hunter, Ingrid Saunders Jones, James D. Manning, Walter L. Miller, Barry Nelson, Phillip Robinson, Garth Tate, Deborah G. Thomas, William A. Tibbs, Jr., andJerome Wright. Finally, thanks and praise to the Spirit, who makes all things possible. xiv ...

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