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Ajuan Mance

@ajuanmance

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Artist, Writer, Professor of Illustration at @cca_illustration. Author-illustrator of What Do Brothas Do All Day? @chroniclekidsbooks 📚 and others

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Welcome to summer! I am thrilled to share that What Do Brothas Do All Day? has officially been featured in the @childrensbookcouncil Summer 2026 Showcase: These Are the People In My Neighborhood. This vibrant collection celebrates friendship, teamwork, and the daily connections that make a community feel like home. Explore the full reading lineup over at https://cbcbooks.org/ ⁠ The link is also in my bio. #BookBuzz #kidlit #Bookstagram #ClassroomLibrary #CBCShowcase by @ajuanmance

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a month ago

All set to go at the PRISM Comics table! by @ajuanmance

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9 hours ago

I’m happy to be back at San Diego Comic-Con! Drop by and get a signed copy of one of my books (or two, or three), and be sure to come to our Sunday panel, where you can join the discussion. See you there! by @ajuanmance

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19 hours ago

Creativity comes in all colors, and the panel discussion Queer Comics in Color returns to Comic-Con International! Join Julie Fiveash, Ajuan Mance, Jesse Ledina, Sean Z Maker, and moderator Viktor T. Kerney Sunday, July 26th at 10:30 AM in Room 10 of the San Diego Convention Center for a discussion of popular culture that comes in every shade. by @ajuanmance

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5 days ago

Ajuan Mance is coming to Cape & Cowl Con! Ajuan is a phenomenal Oakland-based writer, artist, and educator! We’re incredibly excited to have her joining this year’s C&C Con! The fourth annual Cape & Cowl Con is on SUNDAY, AUGUST 30th from 11AM to 6 PM at @factionbrewing in Alameda! Our convention is FREE TO ATTEND and ALL AGES! Everyone is welcome, so tell EVERYONE! by @ajuanmance

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9 days ago

Here's the clipping on Cuff Dix and June 16, 1776 escape from Birdsborough Forge. by @ajuanmance

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13 days ago

My portrait of Cuff Dix is based on a clipping from the July 17, 1776 issue of the Pennsylvania Journal or Weekly Advertiser (a long name for a newspaper, I think).Birdsborough Forge was one of several built by the Bird family, the largest slaveholders in Berks County, Pennsylvania. Today's community of Birdsboro, PA was named for this family. Described as "a most excellent hammerman," it seems that Dix was a skilled blacksmith whose labor was a critical part of the Birds' operation.The clipping seeking his return documents one of several attempts by Dix to escape enslavement. He was eventually captured and forced to return to Birdsborough Forge.The historical record seems, however, to suggest that a subsequent run to freedom was successful. By 1778, Cuff Dix is no longer listed among Bird's enslaved laborers. Pennsylvania historians believe that he was one of a growing numbers Black people who escaped their enslavement during and around the period of the Revolutionary war. by @ajuanmance

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13 days ago

Every Friday evening this month, come see COMICS IN THE CITY on CCA campus! This week, I'm the guest speaker. Come see and hear me read from comics, after which I'll answer questions from host Justin Hall, as well as from the audience. Afterwards I'll be signing books. I hope you can come out to this event! by @ajuanmance

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17 days ago

by @ajuanmance

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17 days ago

This portrait of George is based on a clipping from the Friday, August 2, 1776 issue of The Virginia Gazette.* The “6th instant” refers to the sixth day of the closest month to the publication of that issue. In this case, it would be the 6th day of the previous month. by @ajuanmance

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21 days ago

The first image is a portrait of Amelia, based on how I imagine her. The second is the first time her run to freedom is mentioned in the news. Please be aware that the news clipping uses derogatory and obsolete language. by @ajuanmance

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21 days ago

On this 250th Anniversary of the United States, I am thinking of the Bucks of America, the only all-Black company organized during the Revolutionary War. Little information about them remains, but they are believed to have been assigned to protect merchant property in Boston. Their flag is one of the few artifacts of their company still in existence. I think of them often. I wonder if they believed that the promises of the Declaration would apply to them, or if they hoped that their service would be rewarded with equal rights and freedoms. I wonder about their relationship with other ethnic and racial groups, like indigenous people and white indentured servants, as well as their feelings about those Black people who joined forces with the British. I know there’s more information about them somewhere, and I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s looking. by @ajuanmance

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21 days ago