iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 5h

Bet was one of hundreds of Black people who ran to freedom in 1776. I am focusing on 76 of them, mostly from South Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, and Philadelphia. It was speculated that she escaped to join British troops, who were promising freedom in exchange for Black people’s military service.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

I’m drawing 76 Black people who freed themselves from enslavement in 1776. This is Gabriel. He escaped with Ben. I’ll post that drawing soon. The foliage in the background is from a recent photo from the bridge where he was last spotted before his escape. That bridge is still in existence today.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

I’m drawing portraits of 76 Black people who escaped slavery in 1776.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

On Saturday, I started my birthday by taking my mother out for brunch, to celebrate her 60th anniversary of being a mom. My mom and I were joined by my fabulous partner (in the black cap). Thanks for everything, Mrs. Mance! ❤️

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

I love seeing my books out in the world at schools, at libraries, and on store shelves. These pics are from the Oakland Museum (OMCA).

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Tomorrow it’s back to work after a great weekend at SF Zine Fest! It was such a busy day that I never got to leave my table (which is a good thing). Here’s the view from where I sat.

The interior of the 1864 Hibernia Bank building in San Francisco — lots of marble and gold leaf and a stained glass dome.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 28/06/2026

I’m excited to share that What Do Brothas Do All Day? has landed a spot on the @cbcbooks.bsky.social Summer Showcase list, These Are the People In My Neighborhood—a collection celebrating teamwork, kindness, & community: cbcbooks.org #BookBuzz #kidlit #ClassroomLibrary #CBCShowcase #CommunityStories

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

David Hockney has been an inspiration for me since I first encountered his work. I believe it was some time in high school. Thank you, and R.I.P. David Hockney dies — he was one of the 20th century's most influential artists www.npr.org/2026/06/12/9...

npr.org

David Hockney, one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, dies at 88

Hockney moved from London to Southern California in the 1960s and was an innovative painter, photographer, stage designer and printmaker.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Brandon Bradshaw just might be the Keith Haring of Sioux City, Iowa: ca.news.yahoo.com/town-rallies...

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 05/11/2025

In 1989, I saw an exhibition of Rockwell’s civil rights paintings. I knew his work very well, but I had never seen most of these paintings. I stand with his family. This is a misuse of his work. Norman Rockwell’s Family Condemns Homeland Security’s Use of His Work www.nytimes.com/2025/11/04/a...

nytimes.com

Norman Rockwell’s Family Condemns Homeland Security’s Use of His Work

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 05/09/2025

Please support this wonderful bookstore. The staff is kind and knowledgeable, the selections are well curated, and their children’s book section is a delightful, which is not a word I often use. I did an event there in 2024, and they made me feel like a part of their local reading community!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

My newest piece is an homage to coffee culture and cafe goers everywhere! It’s an 18” x 24” print that I’m releasing in a limited edition of 250. There are 90 different figures in the drawing, drinking everything from iced coffee to matcha lattes. This labor of love took about 90 hours to create.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

I had such a good time at the South Berkeley Public Library Zine Fest that I only managed to take one picture, of this cool sign by artist and festival organizer Avy Jetter! Thank you, Avy, for this wonderful event! See you next week at SF Zine Fest!

Zine fest sign depicting hands representing the diverse ethnic communities of Berkeley, CA.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 24/08/2025

It was a wonderful day at the inaugural South Berkeley Public Library Zine Fest! Now, onto the SF Zine Fest next Sunday!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 19/06/2025

What a thrill and an honor to be part of the program of readings and panels at the Schomburg's 100th. From the parade at the opening to the amazing panelists, to our own reading and discussion in the children's reading room at the Countee Cullen Library, it was day I will never forget.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 02/04/2025

This is going to the top of my spring reading list!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

A video about my contribution to this upcoming anthology:

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 06/03/2025

In my other life, I make autobiographical comics that are funny, silly, and occasionally wise. My next comic, on my years as a college rugby player, will appear in this anthology. Please support our Kickstarter: www.kickstarter.com/projects/sta...

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 03/03/2025

This was my immediate thought upon reading about this. There are some critically acclaimed and highly celebrated Black artists in the planned exhibition. Why would the museum not want to mount the show. hyperallergic.com/992061/show-...

hyperallergic.com

Show on Artists of African Descent Loses Funding Amid Trump DEI Crackdown

The exhibition at the Art Museum of the Americas in Washington, DC, would have featured works by Afro-Latino, Caribbean, and African American artists.

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Daughter Hive 🏳️‍🌈 @pfermen69.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

The fact that Edward’s was willing to secure private funding to skirt the red tape and they refused is telling.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 01/03/2025

My parents had these songs on heavy rotation. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" melts my heart every time. Only in the last ten years did I learn she was a child prodigy who entered Howard U at 15, on a full scholarship. Thank you for the lasting gift of your music, Ms. Flack. R.I.P.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 27/02/2025

I’m putting this museum on my travel list for 2025

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

I’m thrilled to be returning to Mills College for The Black Read: Living While Black with Professor Ajuan Mance, on Wednesday (2/19) in the Mills Hall living room, 5 PM. This event is free and open to the public. For information: www.eventbrite.com/e/the-black-...

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 10/02/2025

I'm adding several of these to my to-do list!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 07/02/2025

I curated a show! Join me for Saturday’s opening at the San Francisco Women Artists Gallery, from 2 PM to 4 PM, 647 Irving St at 8th Ave, San Francisco, CA.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 02/02/2025

It's Black History Month! To celebrate, I'm posting this drawing from 2017. If Hon. #ShirleyChisholm and #SojournerTruth were alive today, I think they'd stand with all who face injustice.This drawing imagines them joining the #DAPL protests of 2016 and 2017. #Blacksky

A drawing of Shirley Chisolm and Sojourner Truth by Ajuan Mance. The drawing imagines them protesting together at the Dakota Access pipeline.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

A few scenes from the Art of Diaspora Show Opening at the Richmond Art Center!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

I find hope and joy in my artists’ and writers, communities. The annual Art of the African Diaspora show opening at the Richmond Art Center was an amazing moment celebrate and connect with so many of the artists who inspire me! Many thanks to the organizers!

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 28/03/2024

Here's where I'll be at #WonderCon. Hope to see you there! #comics #WonderCon2024 #BlackSky #scifi

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Matthew Noe @noethematt.bsky.social · 27/03/2024

Stop challenging books and we'll stop doing this panel and go back to talking about comics just for fun reasons! (There will be fun on the panel too, but c'mon y'all, please?)

Fanbase Press' WonderCon 2024 Panel Announcement #1:

Saturday, March 30, at 12:30 p.m. (Room 208): Comics Under Attack: Navigating Book Bans and Censorship – Led by Barbra Dillon, this panel of librarians, educators, and publishing professionals—including Moni Barrette (director of collection development & publisher relations, Library Pass), Matthew Noe (librarian, Harvard Medical School), St John D Phoenix (graphic novel selector, Brodart), and Dr. Theresa Rojas (professor, Modesto Junior College)—discuss how books bans and censorship are impacting the comics industry and the collaborative measures that can be taken to contend with the obstructive efforts.

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 26/03/2024

Coming to D.C. in April... Hope to see you there! www.loyaltybookstores.com/whatdobrotha... #picturebook #kidsbooks #kidlit #BlackSky #bookstore

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 22/03/2024

On this day in #WomensHistoryMonth, I'm remembering women in our #healthcare history who accomplished so many firsts: Dr. Matilda Evans Dr. Rebecca Lee Crumpler Nurse Mary Eliza Mahoney 🩺 #WomensHealth #STEMeducation #Blackademics

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 20/03/2024

Kids ask the best questions. One asked if my hair turned white upon completion of WHAT DO BROTHAS DO ALL DAY?. 😆 #ShopLocal: bit.ly/BrothasBooks... #picturebooks #kidsbooks #BlackSky #bookstores

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 20/03/2024

Kids ask the best questions. One asked if my hair turned white upon completion of WHAT DO BROTHAS DO ALL DAY?. 😆 #ShopLocal: bit.ly/BrothasBooks... #picturebooks #kidsbooks #BlackSky #bookstores

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 20/03/2024

A big THANK YOU to Sister's Uptown Bookstore in Harlem for hosting a series of wonderful readings of WHAT DO BROTHAS DO ALL DAY? with first graders in the district. 🥰 Shop local: bit.ly/BrothasBooks... #picturebook #kidsbooks #comics #BlackSky

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The Comics Journal @comicsjournal.bsky.social · 18/03/2024

Jason Bergman @jasonxbergman.bsky.social chats with Jordan Mechner @jmechner.bsky.social, computer game designer and, recently, a writer of historical adventure comics. This week sees the English release of Replay, a 320-page intergenerational memoir he’s written & drawn. www.tcj.com/ive-rediscov...

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The Misty Miss Christy @tmmc.bsky.social · 18/03/2024

Women’s History Month in Visual Arts~ March 17 schristywolfe.com/2020/03/17/w... Anna Washington Derry by Laura Wheeler Waring,1927 / Oil on canvas / 20”x16” / Smithsonian American Art Museum, DC #womenshistorymonth #5womenartists #womeninthearts #womenartists

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 15/03/2024

"Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible." —Carol Moseley Braun Artwork from SHE VOTES: www.chroniclebooks.com/products/she... #WomensHistoryMonth #inspiringquotes

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Ajuan Mance @ajuanmance.bsky.social · 15/03/2024

"Magic lies in challenging what seems impossible." —Carol Moseley Braun Artwork from SHE VOTES: www.chroniclebooks.com/products/she... #WomensHistoryMonth #inspiringquotes

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Stacked Deck Press @stackeddeckpress.bsky.social · 15/03/2024

⁣The thrill of competition! The fight for queer freedom! World travel! Cool bowling shirts! One book has it all!⠀ Back it on @wearezoop.bsky.social today!⠀ zoop.gg/c/agoodsport A Good Sport is a #graphicmemoir by Soizick Jaffre! #graphicnovel #lgbtqcomics #indiecomics #bowling #gaygames

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Danyel Smith @danyelsmith.bsky.social · 14/03/2024

this is beautiful for me and my book 🔆 we’re included in this essay from a fellow Oakland author about our region’s literary culture www.nytimes.com/2024/03/13/b...

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Dylan NDR Edwards @dylanndr.bsky.social · 12/03/2024

Very highly recommend this comic! I've been reading it since it was a zine, excited to see it collected all in one place!

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scott topics™️ @scottpb.bsky.social · 12/03/2024

So excited about this!!! Congrats, Ajuan! 💜✊🏾

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