Black folks can absolutely be nerds, in fact, we coined our own portmanteau: Black + nerd= Blerd. And we love our comic cons, right?!

You don’t have to be a child to engage in make-believe. There are plenty of adults who enjoy adopting a new identity for a few hours for a convention, showing out with elaborate costumes, crazy contacts, and some impressively crafted (but con-friendly) weapons. Some of us like anime and manga. Others are avid comic book collectors. Don’t forget the furries!

And some of us are into gaming. Remember when Megan Thee Stallion teamed up with the Mortal Kombat creators for en epic Mileena feature, bear trap teeth and all? Fabulous.

For Blerds, being able to immerse themselves in these alternate worlds is therapeutic; a kind of escapism from a challenging reality. Unfortunately, they face discrimination in the nerd world, being told that they can’t cosplay as Goku from Dragonball Z, because of their dark skin. Then you have the cosplayers who are tone deaf enough to take photos or show up to cons in blackface, claiming it’s necessary for people to know who they’re impersonating.

Let’s be clear: nobody is saying a white woman can’t be Storm from X-Men. But if she’s got the trademark white hair and the appropriate costume, she doesn’t need to darken her skin to clue us in to who she is. A little imagination and awareness do go a long way.

Whether you’re a Comic Con veteran, or are looking to go to your first one, here are seven comic cons across the nation to consider:

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