I had the opportunity to read this work for the first time in 2004 while attending the Moore Undergraduate Research Apprentice Program at UNC-Chapel Hill around the time I was considering graduate school and while I was interested in studying black intellectuals. Mays's story resonated with me in powerful ways. As I began working on my dissertation and book, I used this autobiography to learn about Morehouse College and the City of Atlanta during Jim Crow. Mays served as president at Morehouse College from 1940-1967. One of my favorite quotes, which you'll find on my department website and one that I share with my students at the beginning of each semester is attributed to Mays. 'The tragedy in life doesn't lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.'