In celebration of my birthday and job change, I decided very last minute to attend BlerDCon in Arlington, VA.
What is a Blerd you ask? A Blerd is a Black Nerd, however unlike a significant amount of attendees I read the creator's actual intent in BlerDCon which is a space when black creators, POCs, individuals of the LGBTQ+ community, persons with disabilities, and anyone in between are welcome. It is indeed an inclusive nerd convention.
With that being said I will not be highlighting the cosplay controversy that transpired following the weekend of fun and beauty. So if you are looking for that, this ain't it!
We get there at 1 am Friday morning and I am immediately pleased with The Hyatt Regency Crystal City because not only was I am to check in early on my phone, but as a Discoverist member, I was able to check out late as well.
Friday, I dress cosplay adjacent to Artemis from Sailor Moon because why not? The line is around the corner but, the first time in my life of attending cons, we are the majority. Blerdcon was playing no games and required not only for you to be vaccinated but a mask was required at all times!
The vaccination portion was another reason I wanted to go because this mandate really helped (as a newcomer) with the crowd this year. They checked our vaccination cards four times in line and instead of badges our masks which they provided was our ticket in and out of the festivities. It was a good quality mask that did not go with anyone's outfits but in a true black fashion, most of us coordinated our masks with our outfits ahead of time.
We checked out the marketplace which has a variety of black authors and artists amongst other individuals selling merchandise and I made sure to buy most of the black comics' first additions to support.
I would say the coolest parts of Blerdcon were the parties, the comedy shows, and the vibes in general. Any other anime convention you deal with musty people and terrible rave music. This was not the case, there was a Black wedding, several black proposals, flame performers, a twerk competition, a comedy show where a black woman was the header all in the span of three days!!! Honestly, it was the most magical experience I have had in a long time. I think everyone should go to a con focused on their culture.
I am bummed to miss next year but, will probably attend DreamCon instead and review that so stay tuned!
P.S In this first picture below these ladies are all 40+ cosplayers! Storm is 77! Cosplay has no age 💃🏾💃🏾💃🏾
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