The characters Austin Powers, Scorpion from “Mortal Kombat,” and Velma from “Scooby Doo” do not ordinarily inhabit the same worlds — or often get to be depicted as Black. They do at Blerdcon.
The seventh annual Black Nerd (or “Blerd”) convention officially kicked off Friday afternoon in the grand ballroom of the Hyatt Regency in Crystal City, Va., with a panel featuring Rachel True ( of the cult-classic film “The Craft”), a late-night dance party celebrating Cree Summer, spades and Uno tournaments, and hundreds of Black cosplayers.
The morning started off quietly, but by the time the opening ceremonies began at 12:15 pm, hundreds of Blerds and nerds had descended upon the hotel. The costumes spanned pop culture, Black culture, and nerd culture. There were ninja Wu-Tang Clan members, a break-dancing Spider-Man, M’baku from “Black Panther,” Rugrats, Black women with elf ears and Telfar purses, Black men with hooves and antlers, and so much more, regardless of stereotype and character canon.
Pushing past stereotypes was a theme of the day. While discussing stereotypes Black people face during her opening ceremony panel, actress True said, “We were put into those boxes; it doesn’t mean we have to stay there.”
Blerdcon is a celebration of stepping out of the box. For three days (four, if you count Thursday’s pre-events), Black people are afforded a space to step out of standard cultural stereotypes to engage with the culture, fandoms, and genres we’ve been underrepresented in.
The crowd easily embraced one another, whether knowing each other prior to Blerdcon or not. Refrains of “Yass!” and “Can I take a picture?” could be heard while navigating the festivities. Invited guests, including Karen Ashley (best known as the beloved Yellow Ranger on Fox Kids’ “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”) and actor Ade M’Cormack (“The Winter Soldier,” “Blood…
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