To Carla, my earth angel—how many times have you placed the three of us before yourself? You are priceless.
To Will—it always amazed me that we don’t have to see each other for six months and still pick up like we left it.
To Dax, my conscious bro’—you never passed judgment and always lent an ear.
To Camille—you’re the sis my mother didn’t have and my backbone.
To Sabu—coming back to the city enhanced our relationship. See you at the lounge.
To the Jacksons—thank you for opening your home to me. It’s funny how three months became three years.
To D—hold it down, big dawg, it’s almost over.
To Noody—we still got it, big dawg. The series is tied 132–132.
For those whose names I didn’t mention, know that you, too, are a part of my success, and I thank you.
I must single out my boys, Gee and Rah. Man, we have did it all. We couldn’t have planned this outcome, even if we tried. It is amazing what can happen if you just take a chance, a step out on faith. Our road traveled was a blind venture. Many times we tripped over our own shoelaces. But we never stop believing in one another. We laughed, we cried, we hugged, we danced, we argued, and we smiled. Most of all, we believed. Thank you for the ride. There is nothing the three of us can’t accomplish. It is now, as always, our responsibility to continue to help all others.
From Rameck Hunt:
First and foremost, I’d like to thank God. Truly God deserves all the credit and praise because without Him, there would be no us. God took three young boys and made them into men. Through us He is showing the world what miracles are made of and is spreading a message—a message of perseverance, true friendship, love, dedication, and trust. He teaches us the lesson of caring and giving back, each one teach one. Only God could produce the miracle that we are, and to Him I am forever thankful.
I am so thankful that I have friends and family to share my life and my love. I feel really loved, and I thank you all and love you so much, especially:
My mother, for instilling values in me early on. Without them I don’t know if I would have made it. Even though we had our share of problems through the years, what you taught me will last a lifetime. I love you so much, Mom.
My father, for listening to me when I needed you. Just watching you and listening to you reminds me that I came from your seed. We are so much alike, and I am proud and thankful that I inherited such wonderful genes. Love you, Dad. Thank you for all the lessons you taught me.
My late grandmother, Ellen Bradley, a tear is shed even as I write this. I love you and I know you are my angel, watching over me.
My sisters, Daaimah, Mecca, and Quamara. I love all of you and I would do anything in this world for you. Thank you for loving me. You may not know it, but just checking up on me from time to time meant so much to me.
My aunts and uncles, Rasheed, Sheldon, Gloria, Nicole, Victoria, Venus, Rahman, Teresa, Kenny, and the late Anthony and Jackie, I love you all. Thanks for being there for me.
My cousins, thanks for keeping me humble. I’m still Mr. Potato Head.
My friends. I learned a lot from all of you, bad and good, lessons that I will take with me always, lessons that made me who I am. I’m so glad to see that so many of you, like me, have changed your lives and are doing the right things.
The love of my life, continue to stand by me and hold me down like you do.
And Nana. You showed me the importance of family (and Sunday dinner).
The brothers I never had: Sam and George. We have been through a lot together and will go through so much more. But I want both of you to know how much I appreciate your friendship. “I am my brother’s keeper,” as I’m sure you are mine.
From Lisa Frazier Page:
I give all honor, glory, and praise to the Lord of my life, Jesus Christ, who makes what seems impossible possible. I would not have been able to participate in this project without the unwavering love and dedication of my husband, Kevin, who answered my kazillion computer questions, kept me calm, and took care of our home so I could focus on this book. In the year I spent working on the book, I became a mother twice—to Danielle, our beautiful baby girl, brought home for adoption at nearly six months old, and Kevin Jr., our baby boy and symbol of hope, born six months later on September 12, 2001, the day after the World Trade Center and Pentagon tragedies. I thank my two miracle babies and my awesome teenage daughter, Enjoli, for the joy and wonder that keep me sane. I’m blessed with a large network of family and friends who supported me in large and small ways. To each of you, especially my parents, Clinton and Nettie Frazier, and the parents I inherited, Richard and Miriam Page, I am eternally grateful. Thanks to my supportive colleagues, friends, and editors at The Washington Post and my other friends in the business, particularly Wil Haygood, who was there all the way to read as much, as often, and as quickly as I needed and who offered invaluable critique, advice, and encouragement. Thanks to Joann Davis, for all you did to make this book a success, and to Cindy Spiegel, for your brilliant editing and desire to get this right. And to three incredible guys—Drs. Sampson Davis, Rameck Hunt, and George Jenkins—thanks for your faith in me. If you ever worried whether my two new babies would overwhelm your baby, this book, you never showed it. Thanks for your inspiration. And most of all, thanks for our new friendship.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt and Sampson Davis grew up together in Newark, New Jersey, and graduated from Seton Hall University. Davis and Hunt received their medical degrees from the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, and Jenkins his dentistry degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. All three are recipients of the Essence Lifetime Achievement Award. Together they created the Three Doctors Foundation, which offers a yearly scholarship to a promising Newark student entering a four-year college.
Lisa Frazier Page is a winner of the National Association of Black Journalists Award for features. She has been a writer for The Washington Post since 1995, and was an award-winning reporter and columnist for New Orleans’s Times-Picayune for nearly a decade. Page, who is married and the mother of three children, lives in the Washington, D.C., area.
The Pact Page 21
