BNP Testimonies: The Kids Are Alright

In response to the staggering election results in which many members of marginalized communities experienced how disconnected they were from their fellow citizens and the country elected bigotry and hatred; Black Nerd Problems put out the call to hear how people were coping. Here is a collection of short essays on what we’re doing, just to get by. The Threat: Ash Davis / Twitter: @tokenblackchick Queer black woman writing to keep her sanity in what looks to be the start of a post apocalyptic movie starring Brad Pitt and no black people. I was sick the night of November 8th. Sicker November 9th. But by November 10th I was better. Days into what feels like the prologue of a post-apocalyptic video game, I’m okay. My kids comfort me. But I’m not talking about physical offspring. I don’t have any children. I mean my characters; the beings I give life to in the pages of my fanfiction. [quote_right]To write Black people into these stories like notes scribbled in the margins that end up being better than the book.[/quote_right] We Black nerds know the nerdy stuff we love to consume — the video games, the movies, the TV shows — have few, poorly written, or no Black characters at all. Which in turn means their fandoms and fanfictions remain as woefully white as their subject material. Ever since I began writing fanfiction, I’ve worked to change that. To write Black people into these stories like notes scribbled in the margins that end up being better than the book. Fanfiction and fa…