This is one of several older Black men who were gathered together at the Starbucks on MacArthur, in San Leandro. Based on their familiarity with the staff and some of the other regular customers, I’m guessing that this must be a regularly scheduled meetup. While they were chatting and laughing over coffee and snacks, I was working on a particularly tedious part of my current research project; but, rather than distract me, the upbeat mood at their table lifted my spirits.

Ajuan Mance