Foothill Blvd. near High St., Oakland, CA.
I love seeing Black dads with their kids. It brings back warm memories of childhood with my own amazing dad. At the same time, though, there’s something bittersweet about seeing African American men doing one of the most ordinary things in the world–being fathers to their children–and knowing that so many people in this country don’t even believe that loving Black fathers exist.
Ajuan Mance
GameStop, Emeryville, CA.
Ajuan Mance
Waiting in line outside of the Monkey King restaurant, Alameda, CA.
Ajuan Mance
The San Francisco Bay Area is home to one of largest communities of bears in the western world. In this context, the word bear refers not to large four-legged creatures of the woods, but to large gay men with big beards.
Despite the number of gay bears in this region, the Black bear remains a rare occurrence. So, when I saw these two gentleman at Books Inc. in the Castro, I knew I had to record the moment for posterity.
Ajuan Mance
Three friends, outside La Farine bakery, Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, CA.
Ajuan Mance
Passing by the window of Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, CA
Why draw this brotha? It’s always interesting to see someone in real life who has the kind of body you usually only see on televised sports.
Ajuan Mance
Waiting in line at the bank, across the street from Peet’s on Fruitvale.
Ajuan Mance
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, CA.
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.
Ajuan Mance
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fruitvale Ave., Oakland, CA.
Why draw this brotha? That fly purple shirt with that super fly polka dot tie.
Ajuan Mance
Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Fruitvale, Ave., Oakland, CA.
Why draw this brotha? Because he seemed so young to look so tired.
Ajuan Mance