1001 BLACK MEN: An Online Sketchbook

Yesterday, I saw this very cute, chubby kid in the suits separates section of the SF men’s Macy’s. He was shopping for a an outfit with his mother and grandparents. They were looking at black suits and it made me wonder if he was shopping for an end-of-year dance of some sort. He looked a little overwhelmed, but his mother and grandparents were shopping with hawk-like focus. In fact, they were so focused on finding a black jacket and pants that they didn’t notice that he was transfixed by the brightly colored summer slacks on an adjacent rack (especially the kelly green ones).

Ajuan Mance

Saw this guy with awesome sideburns on the escalator at the men’s Macy’s yesterday morning.

Ajuan Mance

This drawing was inspired by a worker I saw taking break in the of the San Pablo Avenue Good Will store. I was making a donation drop before heading on to the Emeryville Office Depot. When I pulled up on the side of the building he walked over and asked if I needed his help to unload. I  smiled and waved him away and he smiled and returned to his break.

Ajuan Mance

Here’s a drawing of the brother I saw standing around in the produce section at Farmer Joe’s. His wife was beside him, looking at the organic apples and speaking enthusiastically about the wide selection. He seemed distracted by his own thoughts. Perhaps he was considering the ramifications of the failure of contemporary physicists to confirm the existence of the Higgs Boson particle. Or, alternatively, he might have been walking through the possibilities for Europe’s economic future, given the recent election results in Greece and France. Whatever he was thinking about, I am pretty sure it wasn’t apples; and I could practically see each word his wife was saying as it floated into one of his ears and right out the other.

Ajuan Mance

When I saw this guy in the crowd at the AIDS Ride fundraiser last night, I had to look at him three or four times before I could be sure he wasn’t my brother’s friend Mike.

Mike, if you’re reading this, you should know that you have a doppelganger out there. He really looks quite similar to you, minus the fact that he probably doesn’t work out much (sorry fundraiser dude, but it’s true). The main difference between the two of you, though, is that he has a gap and you don’t.

RE: The fundraiser

It seemed like a large crowd, and so I wouldn’t at all be surprised if the team raised a lot of money for the ride, which is terrific. Having entered middle age, I can say that I don’t have that Sunday-night=dance-party-with-a-live-band energy that I did–say–twenty-five years ago. Still, the organizers knew their audience well, and they put together a lineup of acts that had the crowd swaying and singing all evening long.

Shout out to Brock Cocker, Kentucky Fried Woman, and Drew Montana for a great performance of Rhianna’s “Only Girl in the World.”

Ajuan Mance

A couple weeks ago, I went to Luka’s Taproom  to celebrate the birthday of a dear, dear friend. I enjoy the decor of Luka’s, but I usually avoid going there because it’s often too crowded for my tastes. This particular Friday evening was no different, because everyone was there for their TGIF Happy Hour drinks. I’m not sure if I was just in the right mood or if it was just a fluke, but on that evening I really enjoyed the space. Although Luka’s is crowded at Happy Hour, the crowd is friendly, upbeat, and ethnically diverse. Most folks looked to be in the 35+ age rage, which was a great fit for me, and I truly had a good time. I just might go back, perhaps when I’ve turned in all of my end-of-semester grades.

This drawing depicts one of the patrons. He was reaching out for a toast with his buddy who was sitting a couple of people away from him at the bar. The place was so friendly that the strangers sitting between him and his friend didn’t mind and actually smiled at being reached over and bumped by toaster and toastee.

Ajuan Mance

Over the years I have approached and then retreated from a series of drawings either depicting incarcerated black men in the contemporary or using images of incarcerated Black men as the center of allegorical or story-drawings about the lynching era. This drawing is one of the former. I’ve been making a lot of these lately, and they’ll be popping up over the next few weeks.

Stay tuned!

Ajuan Mance

If you ever shop at the smaller Farmer Joe’s market (on the corner of MacArthur and 35th), then you will probably recognize the man in this drawing as the security officer there. He is usually standing in the produce area, just inside the entrance. I’ve wanted to include him in this blog for quite a while, but I wanted to get his name before I drew him. Then, a couple days ago, I found myself just sketching him in my notebook. Voila! The next blog entry was born. I still plan to ask him his name and, when I do, I’ll add an update to this post.

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I was speaking to a young woman today whose younger brother is incarcerated. She is very sad because she believes that if she had been better able to protect him from being physically abused by her mother’s boyfriend, he would never have gotten involved in drug sales and drug-related violence.  Speaking with her only reinforced my skepticism about our criminal justice system, a system that fails to address the root causes of violence, drug abuse, burglary, and theft, and instead remains focused on punishment alone. My investment in this issue is partially selfish. I live in Oakland, California, and the recidivism rate for the formerly incarcerated is not doing the city any favors; and the impact is greatest our most vulnerable neighborhoods.

Ajuan Mance

You know, I think that the multiplex is one of my favorite places to be ever. I know that many of my compatriots are movie purists, preferring the classically restored theater or the ratty, old, lived-in art house…but I don’t. Some old time theaters do a great restoration and I am glad they exist, but I love me some stadium seating, and I enjoy the souped up sound systems of some of the better multiplexes. Don’t even get me started on IMAX. A real, true IMAX theater (with the massive screen) is awesome. I saw Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the Loews Metreon IMAX theater in San Francisco, and I felt like I was actually at Hogwarts….and the IMAX dome? Yes, it’s nerdy, and you usually have to go to the local planetarium or science museum to experience one, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t totally amazing! If I could watch UFC matches on the IMAX dome, or even just a good IMAX screen, I would–every single time, and I’d pay 20 or 25 bucks to do it. Heads up to Dana White…think about it!

Ajuan Mance