I always notice a gentleman in a scarf. The man in this drawing was waiting in line at my favorite coffee shop. The haughty expression on this man’s face appeared to reflect his judgement of the people around him, the arrangement of the space, or both. Chances are, though, that he was simply lost in his own thoughts, with little attention to the rest of us or to the setting’s decor.
Ajuan Mance
Solespace, Telegraph Ave., Oakland, CA.
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I ran into Dr. Kortney Ryan Ziegler at the June 2015 opening of my 1001 Black Men art exhibit. Kortney was kind enough to allow me to photograph him for later inclusion in this series.
He is a Black scholar, technophile, and activist. Kortney was the first person to earn a Ph.D. in African American Studies at Northwestern University. He is also the award-winning director of Still Black: A Portrait of Black Transmen and the founder of Trans*H4CK, a tech-based organization that supports the development of open source applications for trans and gender non conforming communities. In 2013, he was named #29 in TheRoot.com’s list of the 100 most influential African Americans of the year.
Look for Kortney to continue to shape, influence, and expand our experience and understanding of race, gender, and social justice, for many years to come.
Ajuan Mance
Brooklyn, NY, November 2015.
Ajuan Mance
There’s only one place where you’re almost guaranteed to see at least on Black person dressed as one of the Mario Brothers, and I probably don’t even need to tell you what that is. (It rhymes with atomic prawn.)
Ajuan Mance
My love of barbecued ribs is second only to my love of buffalo wings, and I crossed paths with this brotha during a recent trip to Smokey J’s Q House, on Shattuck Avenue, in Berkeley, California. The background in this drawing is based on one of those old-fashioned picnic tablecloths. Smokey J’s uses no such decor, but their food makes you feel like you’re eating at a classic old-time barbecue hut. I recommend the ribs and the chili. My main criticism of the place is that they have no iced tea.
Ajuan Mance
I don’t know how I missed posting this drawing from Comic Con 2015. I was only there for a day, but I had my sketchbook at the ready to make drawings of the brothas I encountered in the convention center. One thing I love about Comic Con is that there are so many Black people in attendance that it would be impossible for me to capture even one tenth of the number of Black folks who are there. I’ve definitely been to my share of conferences at which you could fit all the Black people in a walk-in closet, so I don’t take this opportunity to commune with sci-fi and comics fans of African descent. It is an absolute joy to be surrounded by so many unabashedly nerdy Black folks; and each of my trips to Comic Con is so very special to me because, however long or short my time there, for a few hours or a few days, I am truly among my people.
Ajuan Mance
I recently walked into a Chili’s restaurant. I was in the midst of a long and stressful workday, and I need to get away from my office to relax and clear my head. I was looking for a sports-oriented restaurant where I could watch a little ESPN or Fox Sports and have some buffalo wings.
Curiously enough, Chili’s does not serve buffalo wings. They do, however, begin their happy hour at 11am. That likely explains the number of people seated at the bar in the middle of the day. The man in this drawing was part of a multi-racial, multi-ethnic group of construction workers seated around the bar enjoying French fries, televised sports, and large glasses of beer. For a few minutes, I sat at a nearby table taking in the surroundings and imagining what it must be like to go to work so early in the morning, that after work drinks begin around 2pm.
Then, after confirming that the only buffalo “wings” at Chili’s are boneless (in other words, breaded chunks of chicken breast with no dark meat anywhere in sight), I got up from my table and headed back out to my car.
Next time I’m seeking the peaceful diversion of sports and spicy wings, I’ll stop in for lunch at Ricky’s Sports Theater. They’ve got over 90 screens of sports programming, and chicken wings are always on the menu.
Ajuan Mance
At the Whitney Museum, New York, New York.
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On my recent research trip to the Brooklyn Historical Society, I traveled to Manhattan to see the Archibald Motley exhibit at the Whitney Museum. If you’re not familiar with Archibald Motley, he was a wonderfully talented Modernist painter, frequently associated with the Harlem Renaissance. I’ve been familiar with Motley’s work because of my work in Harlem Renaissance literature. I’d seen a few of his paintings in books; but I’d never seen even one of his paintings in real life, until I stepped out of the elevator and into this exhibit. For a moment, the experience of being in the same room with so many of Motley’s works took my breath away. I don’t even know how to express the impact of experiencing the work of a Black man, born in the nineteenth century, who dared to make his art his life. He paved the way for so many of us. How can I not work to the best of my ability? How can I not strive to prove myself worthy of his path?
Ajuan Mance
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 Project, Disability 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
