It’s that day of the year when Americans from coast to coast descend on their local grocery stores, combing through produce bins and store shelves in search of the right ingredients to recreate Those special side dishes and desserts that they remember from childhood. At Farmer Joe’s grocery store on Fruitvale, I was pleasantly surprised by how kind everyone was to each other. The store was packed, carts were bumping into each other, and people were jockeying for position at the meat counter; and yet no one was curt or rude to anyone else. All of us who were shopping this afternoon greeted each bumped cart or accidental elbow with a smile and a brief holiday greeting. Smiles were on everyone’s faces and the mood was light, except for the guy in this picture. There seemed to be a little storm cloud hovering over his head, and he was the only shopper who seemed not to be having fun. Thanksgiving means many things to many people; and here, in the Bay Area, many if not most residents think of the holiday as a more generalized moment to share their gratitude for the gifts that life has bestowed on them. There is little talk of pilgrims or native Americans living in an idealized version of early colonial harmony. There is, however, much talk of free range turkeys, organic sweet potatoes, and homemade glazes made with local honey.

Perhaps the man in this picture is  too troubled by the traditional narrative of the so-called “first Thanksgiving” to apply his own meanings; or perhaps the meanings many of us have applied in remaking this holiday to serve our own wants and needs is not enough. For now, I’ll continue to enjoy the day as a celebration of all of the wonderful people and experiences that have made my life such a wonderful journey.

For those of you who will also be raising a turkey leg in celebration of the day, I wish you a happy Thanksgiving with great food and good family and friends.

Ajuan Mance

I drew this picture on a piece of graph paper, and I so I decided to retain the pattern in this, the final version of the piece. I squeezed the drawing onto a page that already had a lot of notes written on it. Since I didn’t want to include all the writing in the final piece, I had to cut around the actually image, which I then re-positioned on this bright orange background. The drawing depicts  a gentleman I passed on the sidewalk on my way to Oakland’s Cafe 15 where, incidentally, I ate a most amazing burger. It actually had chopped bits of freshly cooked bacon mixed into the ground beef. The brussel spouts side dish was pretty amazing, as well.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

Home Depot, Alameda Ave. Oakland.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

Oakland Public Library, Fruitvale Branch

This drawing was done on an envelope, as you can see from the seams and the flap. I decided to let it retain its inherent envelopy-ness. I like the way the pink and white really pop against the brown-paper-bag-colored background.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

Since I accidentally posted drawing #262 for post #261, I’m posting drawing #261 for post #262.

I’ve noticed that several of my posts have involved making a confession of some sort. I’m not really the sharing type, and so I’m not sure why this theme continues to crop up in my blog.

Indeed, this post constitutes but another confession: I always find it a little disturbing to see men wearing a so-called process. Not familiar with the process? It’s a hairdo that relies on some kind of chemical straightening. Think Billy D. Williams, Kat Williams, Nat King Cole, and Al Sharpton.

For some reason, I have always favored natural hair–even when I wasn’t wearing it. Still, I have gotten used to seeing straightened hair on women, partly because most Black women wear straight hair. There is, however, something about a brother with a process that makes me feel like it’s 1937 and I’m at a storefront church in Harlem on a hot July night. In other words, I’m just plain uncomfortable, but I can’t figure out how to get away.

To all those brothers who are wearing a process, my apologies. I realize that this is my problem, and not yours. In the interest of full disclosure, though, I just thought it might be good to clear the air.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock).

I really like shopping at Best Buy. I’m not quite sure why I enjoy going there so much. I mean, I like bookstores, but the experience of browsing through miles and miles of books (if you are in the Strand Bookstore in New York, for example), is a qualitatively different experience than gazing at a wall of giant flat-screen TVs all showing the same football game. Still, I adore it. Maybe it’s all the gadgets, or maybe its something as simple as the lighting, but shopping at Best Buy never really gets old…to me.

Something tells me that the guy in this drawing also feels the same way about that store. He was having a very serious discussion with one of the Best Buy employees in the LED TV section. I could tell from the concerned look on their faces that they were discussing something very serious, probably related to national security or global warming or…the best size LED television for a small studio apartment (answer: anything over 52 inches would be excessive).

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

I should warn you: Every time I run into a Black man on the street who is dressed in western gear, I will end up as a drawing on 8-Rock.com. I think it also has something to do with my pleasure in seeing an African American man with the audacity to walk around the city dressed in an outfit that is strongly associated with country western music and culture, neither of which is perceived as particularly friendly to Black people. Unfair as it may be, the association of country western music and it’s fans with somewhat more racially conservative values and beliefs is fairly widespread, particularly among that majority of African Americans who live in the American south.

I have to admit that when I see a brother strutting around the streets in western gear, I’m a bit disconcerted, at first. But that uncertainty quickly turns to respect for his refusal to observe those unspoken rules of which styles belong to whom.

So, this drawing is salute to the brothers in cowboy hats, bolo ties, and wild western boots. A tip of the Stetson to every last one of you.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

Everything about this guy seemed oversized–his jacket, his shirt, the big knot on his tie, and even his glasses. If it wasn’t for the glasses, and if the suit was white instead of dark brown, he might look like he was dressed in David Byrne’s big suit, from the movie Stop Making Sense.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

World Ground Cafe, Oakland, CA

Just something simple and (almost) monochrome at the end of a long, busy Thursday.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)

This gentleman was entering the Fruitvale Branch of the Oakland Public Library just as I was entering. I liked his placid expression and calm focus. You see a lot people at the library with that same expression on their faces. It’s the look of absolute contentment that you can only find on the face of a bibliophile who is surrounding by the things he loves the best.

Ajuan Mance (8-Rock)