World Ground Cafe, MacArthur Blvd, Oakland, CA

Ajuan Mance

Location: Zocalo Cafe, San Leandro, CA

Ajuan Mance

I think African American ministers of traditionally Black churches have an aesthetic all their own. The vocal aesthetic of Black ministers is widely known, but there is also a visual aesthetic–a style of dress, of hair, of accessories and comportment–that is a system all its own. In traditionally Black churches, the ministers’ aesthetic seems to combine the trappings of practicality–the two- or three-piece suit, the necktie, and dress shoes–with a stylistic flair that might seem to smack of vanity and ostentatiousness. This flair often expresses itself in hair styles–like a grand pair of sideburns, a jheri curl, or a permanent relaxer (think Al Sharpton). Sometimes it expresses itself in clothing, like  festively colored suits or accessories, stylish shoes or boots, and outrageous jewelry.

The man in this drawing is wearing a 1970s Blaxploitation-style haircut complete with sideburns. The big tie knot is a little bit of an indication of his style-consciousness. The photo that I incorporated into the lower part of his gown depicts Black women choir members marching into their church in mid-century New York City.

Ajuan Mance

Kids are fascinating to me, especially happy, inquisitive kids. Something about their innocent curiosity about everything in the world reminds me of  my own childhood years, during which the world felt like a open-ended adventure.

This wide-eyed kid was just standing outside the Alameda Free Library. His mom was a few feet a way,  returning a stack of books in the drop boxes near of the door. He was watching the patrons come and go with the same level of interest that some kids reserve for watching Dora the Explorer. When I noticed him looking at me and my niece, we both waved and said hi. He did not, but I noticed him give us a barely detectable smile as we walked by.

Ajuan Mance

My mother once said that my father’s side of the family is like the Kennedy family, not in terms of net worth, but because we all really look alike. We have similarly shaped noses, similar undertones (no matter what our skin color) and we all have large, expressive, somewhat heavy-lidded eyes. I passed the man in this drawing on the street when I was on my way to gorge on awesome New England seafood at San Francisco’s Woodhouse Fish Company. He looked a lot like my Uncle Frank, but younger and with much longer hair that my uncle has ever worn (as far as I know).  Also, he was not wearing the cool tinted glasses my uncle has worn as long as I have known him. So, I have a fashion tip for this guy. Cut your hair down to a close fade and get yourself some ’70s-cool tinted glasses. If you want the total effect, a gold tooth wouldn’t hurt either. Just sayin’.

Ajuan Mance

Dear parents and administrators of Oakland’s public schools and publicly-funded charter schools:

It’s bad enough that you’re requiring kids to wear uniforms to school every day. The least you could do is given them some decent accessories. I mean, the tie on this kid is a travesty. It’s too short and too wide; and the only reason the other kids around him weren’t making fun of his outfit is because they were dressed the same way.

In order to effect positive change in the quality of school uniforms in Oakland, I am officially offering myself for service as a volunteer school uniform style consultant. Need more tasteful neckties? Stylish-but-sensible shoes? Put me on the case! Let me be your ally in making the experience of wearing school uniforms a little less painful.

Write me at eightrock@ymail.com and we can do lunch.

Sincerely,

Ajuan Mance

Just a quick sketch of a man I saw in a biker jacket when I was in SF last Saturday night. I can’t be sure he wasn’t an actual motorcyclist, but I doubt it. His hair was perfectly coiffed–not even the slightest sign of helmet head.

Ajuan Mance

Hi Everyone!

This is just a quick note to let you know that I am resuming my 1001 Black Men ‘zines. For those of you who have seen these slim collections of selected drawings from the series, you may remember that the drawings are grouped by category–nerds, fathers and sons, Comic-Con sketchbook, etc. The size is 8.5″ x 11″.

I’ll post when the next issue is available and where!

Stay tuned!

Ajuan Mance