Manna’s Soul Food, Harlem, New York.
Ajuan Mance
Tag Archives: African American Men
1001 Black Men #857
Manhattan, New York.
***
This is one of many people I passed as I searched for an alternative lunch spot, once I realized that Carnegie Deli had beenclosed (perhapstemporarilypleaseihope) by the City of New York. The accusation: Stealing electricity from the establishment next door.
If you look up the Carnegie Deli on Yelp, you’ll see a lot of praise and a lot of criticism. Many people believe this classic dining spot has become a mediocre purveyor of a New York-style tourist experience. Others believe the establishedment still serves up some good quality, classic deli food.
To the negative Yelpers, I say, “Haters be damned. Carnegie’s Chicken & Bacon Whoopee sandwich is food of the gods.” To the City of New York, I say, “Carnegie Deli is as paradigmatically New York as Bodegas and Sabrett’s. Please don’t take my Whoopee sandwich away.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#424
The yellow in these guys’ clothes represents their construction safety vests. There’s a lot of construction going on in the East and Southeast parts of Oakland. I’m not quite sure what they’re doing to Highway 880, but the overpass at High Street near Home Depot hasn’t looked right for months. Then there’s the construction on the Oakland Airport BART extension. That’s the construction project depicted in the photo I’ve incorporated into drawing. These guys were working on the extension at the point where it will run along Hegenberger, I liked the way their hairstyles and beards seemed to be complimentary–short hair vs. long hair, headband vs. no headband, full beard with no mustache vs. goatee with a mustache. It might seem like a silly reason to remember someone, but I love patterns and pairings, even in human beings. Of course, these guys were like a magnet for my nerdy pattern-loving gaze.
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#392
I passed this guy on my way into the High Street Walgreens. It was his eyes that I noticed. It might sound like a cliche, but there seemed to be something in his gaze that was wise, worldly and a little bit sad, and that’s not something I often see in the eyes of someone so young. He seemed to be about 18 or 19, but his gaze seemed to suggest a lifetime of experience. I always associate the late teens with feelings of hope and invincibility, but he looked less hopeful and more vulnerable that I am accustomed to and even comfortable with seeing in young Black men. I’m going to have to think about why that might be…
Ajuan Mance
1001 Black Men–#354
Union Square, San Francisco, July 2012.
Some women just love a man in uniform. When a guy with great hair and a perfectly fitting camel hair overcoat crosses my path, well, that’s what turns my head. Some people enjoy bird watching, but I enjoy clothes watching, especially when it comes to traditionally tailored men’s fashion. And as a person who adores fall fashion in particular, I just have to say how much I love that I live in a part of the country in which a camel hair coat is perfectly acceptable and appropriate summer fare. . Although I miss a lot about the Northeast, I am not sure I will ever be able to leave the awesome climate of the SF Bay Area. For a sweater lover like me, it’s too perfect!
Ajuan Mance