Is BlerDCon the Black Nerd Turn Up We’ve Always Dreamed Of?

I won’t call BlerDCon 2017 a family reunion. Growing up, when fellow Black friends spoke with fondness of their family reunions I was always baffled; as a child (unaware at the time of my class and lightskinned privilege) I chalked up the inevitable struggle to connect with my cousins as due to my nerdy nature and I’m sure I’m not alone in this experience. Instead I will borrow from one of the most famous Black nerds of our generation, Ta-Nehisi Coates, and call it damn near the Mecca of Black nerdom, although “I am not so sure that the force of my Mecca— The Mecca —can be translated into [non-Black] tongue.” It’s no wonder that several participants were confused about this being the con’s first year. For one, while I was hesitant about the Crystal City location (not exactly the most happening of places in the DMV), I was pleasantly surprised by the several beautiful floors blocked out in the Hyatt including a gaming room packed with consoles and arcade games, several panel rooms, a vending area took up a good two large rooms (leaving plenty of space for different body types), and even a top floor in conjunction with the restaurant for a Maid Cafe. As a particularly introverted Black nerd I was also appreciative that the schedule was so in depth and yet I didn’t feel like I had to stay up every night for the concerts and dances or risk missing all the action the way I’ve felt at other cons. Rapper Substantial worked early in his career with Nujabes of Samurai Champloo fam…