Attending BlerDCon for the First Time as a Black Nerd

Story and photo by Maestro Joyner.

From July 13th to 14th 2024, I attended BlerDCon, a Black nerd convention that gives Black nerds of many kinds the space to express themselves freely without judgment, and share a community with other Black people that indulge in anime, manga, and comics. The convention ran from Friday, July 12th to Sunday, July 14th at the Hyatt Regency and Courtyard Marriott in Alexandria, Virginia. It had many panels, cosplayers, voice actors, celebrity guests, vendors, anime screenings, gaming tabletop, gaming stations, a maid cafe, and a food truck rally.

The panels at BlerDCon covered various topics, including visiting Japan, nerd parenting, monetizing hobbies, Black Jeopardy, Family Feud, blerds in education, bingo, and using photography in cosplay. The range of topics addressed in the Black community is very important for others to learn about, to understand the issue or struggles.

There was also time for fun. The vendors at the convention had a lot of interesting creations that had many original pieces. A lot of the creations were hand made of crochet. The intertwining of Black culture and Asian culture made for phenomenal creations that added insight as to how cultures can come together to create communities. 

Likewise, there were many celebrity guests, musical artists, and voice actors that made appearances. To name a few, there was Walter Jones, the first ever power ranger who was of color in the action television show “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers”, Cynthia Harrell, famous for singing “I Am The Wind,” the theme song for Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and “Snake Eater” from Metal Gear Solid 3: SnakeEater, and Roxy Haze, a rapper and comedian who has been on “All Def” and “OWN”, worked with Nickelodeon, and released many songs based on her passion for video games, anime, and comics.  

Uniquely, many of the cosplayers I photographed dressed in cosplays that you would see at any other anime or comic convention, but integrated their Black features into it, making it different. Additionally, there were many diverse characters from comics, video games, or anime that also had Black culture integrated within the cosplay.   

Another feature of BlerDCon was tabletop gaming and station gaming. While they were in different locations, the placement accommodated the vibe the hosts wanted to create. Tabletop gaming was on the second floor of the Courtyard Marriott and had many board games like Uno, Sorry!, Sequence, Ticket to Ride, Wits & Wagers, and Sushi Go! For station gaming, it was on the last floor and had many classic games, as well as some modern ones, plus a DJ in the middle, where people had dance battles and overall had fun. 

As all of those events are happening, there was a food truck rally where food trucks from all over Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virgina came to the convention to introduce their food to a large audience. There were trucks like DC Slices, 2 Cousins Cooking, Dogs on the Curb, New Orleans’s by Myra, District Small Bites, and Spizzy Smoothies. As food is such an important part of Black culture, giving new food spots a chance to shine is fundamental as it builds community.  

Overall I enjoyed BlerDCon and what they had to offer. I would 100% recommend it to any blerd that feels like they have no community. Even if you go alone and everyone is a stranger, it can bring you closer to them, as many of us feel rejected in the black community. I plan to attend BlerDCon:Thrilla next year, March 7th to 9th, 2025. To learn more about BlerDCon and join the awesome community click here. 

Maestro Joyner is a senior at Friendship Collegiate Academy.