Tag Archives: African American Art

1001 Black Men #864

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There’s something I like about the kind of beard this brotha is wearing. Some Black men I see around Oakland wear similarly shaped beards, but braided. Others wear them loose (like the man in this drawing), but with much the same effect. I think I like this specific beard style because it reminds me of the beards of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Let me be clear: Some of the kings of Egypt were Black Africans, and the people of ancient Egypt, prior to the incursion of the Greeks, were most certainly not white people. My belief in the greatness and wonder of Black people does  not, however, rely heavily (or at all) on the notion that there were (and are) Black kings and queens.  After all, most of us don’t have royal ancestry, and throughout most of human history, monarchs have not generally been known for their kind and compassionate use of their power.

Beheadings, foot servants, and excessive wealth aside, though, the Egyptian pharaohs are fascinating to me, if only because the artifacts of their dynasties enable us to reach back into the ancient past and lay our eyes or (in some cases) our hands on real material evidence of how far into the past the roots of our humanity–our feelings, concerns, and conceits–truly extend.

Ajuan Mance

1001 Black Men #859

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The brothas and sistas inside and outside the Brooklyn Museum were so very well dressed. When I’m away from New York, I forget how stylish NYC folks can be.  In places like California, people put a lot of their street style creativity into their vehicles, since folks are so much more likely to drive than to walk.

In New York, most people walk and take public transportation. As a result, a lot of their street style creativity goes into their outfits; and such style it is. We sat out in front of the museum for about half an hour, eating frozen yogurt and watching the parade of New York fashion go by.

Ajuan Mance