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Acknowledgments

Many individuals are to be acknowledged for aiding me in initiating and completing this book. To start, I am greatly indebted to the 40 phenomenal women who candidly and unselfishly shared their life stories with me. Their input provided me with an immense amount of noteworthy information that developed into a personally meaningful journey.

Of course, the study imparted in this book would not have been possible without my mentor, committee chair, guru, and, most important, friend, Dr. Joanne Belknap. It was by pure coincidence that I first met Dr. Belknap in her graduate course on violence against women, which I took prior to applying for the Ph.D. program in sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. It was during this course that I chose to author a paper on intimate partner violence against Black women, a decision that was optimistically supported by Dr. Belknap. Little did I know that that paper and my serendipitous encounter with Dr. Belknap would grow into a treasured research project and a cherished relationship. I am also grateful to Dr. Michael Radelet, who provided valuable feedback and encouragement for this investigative undertaking. The mentoring and support by Drs. Belknap and Radelet led me back to Boulder soon after I completed my doctoral studies and moved on to the next post in my career. It was their tenacity and belief in me as a dedicated scholar that aided me in securing a faculty position in my doctorate-granting program and institution. My years on faculty thus far have been rewarding and rewarded because of the faithful backing of Drs. Belknap and Radelet.

The transition to writing a first book would not have come to be without Ilene Kalish, my editor at NYU Press, and the anonymous reviewers of earlier manuscripts of this work. The suggestions by Ms. Kalish and the reviewers unmistakably strengthened the presentation of my study. Specifically, Ms. Kalish helped me transform my earlier drafts into a piece of work that remains loyal both to academic standards and to the voices and experiences of the women interviewed. Indeed, it was Ms. Kalish who renamed my theoretical concept of “multiplicative resistance,” a quite cumbersome designation, into the more suitable term “dynamic resistance.” Ms. Kalish has gone beyond what I believed an editor was and did. She is owed much praise for her belief in my abilities as an academic and for her enthusiasm for my project.

My deepest appreciation goes to my family, which is certainly my foundation of support. My parents are first and foremost responsible for the accomplishments I have achieved in my life. I am thankful for the strength, resilience, forthrightness, and unwavering adoration exhibited and bestowed by my mother, Laurette Potter. To my father, Fred Potter, I am grateful for his exemplary work ethic, vigor, and tacit, but undeniable, love and support. To be sure, the reverent, stable, and equitable 50 years of marriage between my parents have not been lost on me. Also, my brother, Jason Potter, has unquestionably always “been there” for me. If not for my big brother, who relentlessly reminded me to relax, laugh, and not be so terribly serious about all things all the time, I would certainly not have sustained myself through this harrowing project. Undoubtedly, the same can be extended to my big sisters, Nina “Boots” Potter and Cheryl Potter, and to my beautiful and bright nieces and nephews, Lauren, Cheyne, Lindsay, Caelan, Magenta, Myah and Maya. Their vivacious-ness and encouragement continually nourish me in my daily subsistence and professional undertakings. Finally, my many dear friends—with a special shout-out going to Allison Cotton—have been particularly obliging and supportive during my pursuits to achieve my goals and dreams. The support of my homegirls—especially Alan Gibbons, Sonja Coleman-Harris, Dimitria Cook, and Stephanie Perez—has not wavered as I have repeatedly gone “missing in action” over the years.

It is to all these bonds—old and new—that I am greatly indebted.