Category Archives: Black Writers

1001 Black Men #900

1001BlackMen900Web

Today marks the 900th drawing in the 1001 Black Men series, and a milestone post like this demands a very special portrait. For this drawing, I have chosen my portrait of African American poet and activist Lateef McLeod. Lateef is a former student of mine, and I consider myself very privileged to have had the opportunity to work with him.  He is a committed activist in the area of disability rights, and he is an accomplished poet and essayist. The quote I’ve included in this portrait is from his poem, “I Am Too Pretty for Some Ugly Laws.” You can read the full text of this poem and others at his website.

Poet Lateef McLeod holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from Mills College. He is the author of A Declaration of a Body of Love, a collection of poems on the themes of family, disability, the body, and coming of age. Lateef has written for The Huffington Post,  The Disability Visibility ProjectDisability Right Now, Konch Magazine, and many other publications. He is currently an intern for Sins Invalid, organization that “incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities.”

Ajuan Mance