Why draw this brotha? Because it was one of the hottest days of the year, and his unbuttoned short-sleeve shirt with a t-shirt underneath reminded me of the elderly Black men I used to see during childhood visits to Darlington, South Carolina. My grandmother lived on the Black side of town where, for many folks, the only way to get a little relief from the heat was to sit out on the front porch. These were men for whom proper dress and comportment was more important than comfort–and a gentleman always wore a t-shirt under his shirt, no matter what the weather.
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fruitvale, Ave., Oakland, CA.
Why draw this brother? Because his haircut reminded me of Dr. Jackson, a science instructor at my high school and the only African American person on the entire faculty. At that time, my hair was straightened to within inches of its life, but I admired Dr. Jackson’s afro. At a school in at African Americans made up of only one percent of the student body, his sculpted coif felt outrageous, audacious, and unapologetic, and I loved it!
It’s been an eventful last three weeks or so, and I haven’t had much time to add new posts. Even so, I’ve continued to create new drawings, and I have a bunch of new pieces to share.
Most of these new drawings were done while I was sitting by the window at Peet’s Coffee and Tea, on Fruitvale Avenue. Even though it’s been open for quite some time, I only started going there a couple months ago.
The staff is quite friendly, and the location is convenient to the local grocery store. My favorite place to sit is at the bar along the side window. It’s a great place for people watching, which also means it’s a perfect location for making drawings for this website. The crowd along this stretch of Fruitvale is wonderfully diverse. The brothers in and around this establishment are a true cross-section of Oakland men of African descent, from suits to saggers and beyond; and at a time when I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with stories of Black lives ended prematurely, I take great pleasure and hope from the sheer number and diversity of Black men I see going about their business in and outside of this coffee shop.
Do notice that I redesigned the lanyard on this figure, using a lovely yellow-green with purple stars. Perhaps Comic-Con will invite me to design their real lanyards for future conferences (but probably not).
Also, do note my attempt to create a quirky Comic-Con background (for this and several previous drawings), using silhouettes decked out in my version of cosplay outfits. They’re harder to see at this small size, but check out some of my previous SDCC 2014 drawings for a better look at the background details.
This brother was my favorite costume at Comic-Con, hands down. He was a young, shirtless, Black Uncle Sam in American Flag Bermuda Shorts. I passed him strolling down the aisles of the Small Press section of the Exhibition Hall. I wish I’d taken a moment to ask him about whether or not he was dressed as a particular hero or character. I know there was an Uncle Sam comic book series back in the 1940s, and DC Comics’ the The New 52 (2011) seems to include an Uncle Sam character who is African American; but I don’t think this guy was dressed as either of these. I prefer to imagine that he was wearing his costume both ironically and as an act of reclamation, in the spirit of other outsiders (like Abbie Hoffman, Allen Ginsberg) who used the imagery of Uncle Sam to stake their claim as the most patriotic of all Americans, the dissenters.
Personally, I prefer SNG (Star Trek Next Generation), but I have much respect for the fans of the Original Series (TOS). And there’s something about my brotha and sista Trekkies that gives me a little bit of a thrill. Even if we aren’t into the same version of Gene Roddenberry’s vision, we are kindred spirits. We are all brothers and sisters, even if we salute a different captain.
Three Comic-Con attendees conferring outside the Sails Pavilion, shortly before the beginning of the Masquerade Ball which, for the first time in five years, we chose to skip. Ajuan Mance
I really do want to do a ‘zine on the Black hairstyles of Comic-Con; and, if I do, this brother and the brother in drawing #762 will feature prominently. Their style, the men’s version of the TWA (teeny weeny afro) is a very popular look among the Black geek/dork/nerd crowd, second only to the shaved head, and just edging out the bumpy afro (more on this one later).
