The key to wearing any afro that’s longer than about .25 inches is maintaining the proper shape and symmetry. There are a couple major categories of afro hairstyles. One consists of what some people call the casual ‘fro. It’s loosely shaped, but generally symmetrical (think Lenny Kravitz).  The man in this drawing is wearing what can only be called the traditional ‘fro. It’s both symmetrical and smoothly shaped (think the early Jackson 5).  This man was standing outside the city office building at 1947 Center Street in Berkeley, and I would never have seen him if I hadn’t turned the wrong way on my wait to the East Bay Alternative Book and Zine Fest. I wandered into the farmer’s market and all the way to this building before I realized I needed to go the other direction.

Ajuan Mance