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https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2017/07/25/the-3rd-annual-black-girl-nerds-of-color-meetup/
by Jamie Broadnax | Originally posted at Black Girl Nerds
The 3rd Annual Black Girl Nerds of Color Meetup, also known under the hashtag #BGNOC was a success! The idea of the meetup was a collaborative effort by Keith Chow managing editor of The Nerds of Color, Jamie Broadnax managing editor of Black Girl Nerds, and Arturo Garcia Editor-At-Large at Racialicious.
Our first year took place during San Diego Comic-Con in 2015 at the Grand Hyatt. We had a small intimate crowd that consisted of comic book writers, fans of BGN and NOC, and a new filmmaker that just finished wrapping up a small movie called Creed that you may have heard of. Now he’s making some movie called Black Panther or something like that.
I met some new friends, forged some great connections and learned from my colleagues Keith and Arturo that this was something we need to make as an annual event. The same year, I went solo and hosted a Black Girl Nerds meetup at New York Comic Con, and did it all over again in the city that never sleeps. This time we drew a larger crowd, but at a smaller venue. We booked our event at the Pioneers Bar in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. There were some hiccups here and there with the use of the space, but overall everyone who attended had a fantastic time. Our celebrity guest who stopped by on this meetup? None other than American Gods star Orlando Jones. He blended in so well with the crowd playing Jenga and just casually hanging out like he was one of us!
The following year was officially the 2nd Annual BGNOC meetup back in San Diego. We changed our venue from the Grand Hyatt to the Pool Club over at the Hilton Bayfront. This was an open space that oversees the bay and has a pool! Our crowd increased once again in size and it brought in everyone from TV writers to comic book artists, to academics and more! That same year in 2016, Keith and I planned a NYCC BGNOC, with the venue being Bowlmor Lanes in Times Square.
For the first time, we charged a cover to attend the meetup. The reason for doing this was because of the use of bowling lanes as well as the space to keep it private for just our party. In spite of charging a cover; we had a pretty good turnout and everyone was pleased with the event.
That brings us to this past weekend at SDCC celebrating the 3rd annual BGNOC meetup back at The Pool Club inside of the Hilton Bayfront. This year was amazing and we were pleased to see Parisa Fitz-Henley of Midnight, Texas stop by and say hi. What was beautiful about this meetup as well were the repeat attendees from previous meetups. One example is Jon Tsuei who’s a comic book writer (Run, Love, Kill and Bitch Planet Triple Feature) and has been an attendee of the San Diego BGNOC meetup for the last three years.
The Black Girl Nerds of Color Meetup added Racialicious in year two which is the Arturo Garcia arm of the meetup. Seeing a representation of Black, Asian, and Latinx fans come to a safe space where they feel comfortable around fellow geeks of color makes a difference and is incredibly important. It’s not only that contingent of folks that come out to our meetups either, people of all different nationalities participate and yes, white people show up and show out too. This has never been promoted as an exclusive event but is meant to serve as an event by and for people of color who want fellowship and network with other marginalized groups as friends, fans, business partners, or just someone to geek out with for a few hours.
Next year, we plan to head back to the Pool Club in San Diego and we’re getting ready to start planning for New York Comic Con coming up shortly. What I would love to see in our near future is sponsorship of these meetups. Although each of these meetups on the front end has been successful and everyone who showed up had a great time, on the back end, there have been some bumps here and there because we share the space and don’t rent them out. Keith, Arturo, nor I have the budget to rent out the Pool Club or any other venue to make this space private and exclusive for our group. I would like to see the BGNOC meetups be a space where we can have cool door prizes, an open bar, and some special celebrity guest hosts. Anything is possible! If you like this post, I encourage you to spread the word about it, and if you know of anyone whether it’s a private individual, small business, or corporate entity that wishes to sponsor our future meetups; please have them contact jamie@blackgirlnerds.com. As the communities of BGN and NOC continue to grow, a higher demand will be expected of the meetups.
Our hope is to exceed those expectations.
Cheers!
by Jamie Broadnax | Originally posted at Black Girl Nerds
The 3rd Annual Black Girl Nerds of Color Meetup, also known under the hashtag #BGNOC was a success! The idea of the meetup was a collaborative effort by Keith Chow managing editor of The Nerds of Color, Jamie Broadnax managing editor of Black Girl Nerds, and Arturo Garcia Editor-At-Large at Racialicious.
Our first year took place during San Diego Comic-Con in 2015 at the Grand Hyatt. We had a small intimate crowd that consisted of comic book writers, fans of BGN and NOC, and a new filmmaker that just finished wrapping up a small movie called Creed that you may have heard of. Now he’s making some movie called Black Panther or something like that.
I met some new friends, forged some great connections and learned from my colleagues Keith and Arturo that this was something we need to make as an annual event. The same year, I went solo and hosted a Black Girl Nerds meetup at New York Comic Con, and did it all over again in the city that never sleeps. This time we drew a larger crowd, but at a smaller venue. We booked our event at the Pioneers Bar in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. There were some hiccups here and there with the use of the space, but overall everyone who attended had a fantastic time. Our celebrity guest who stopped by on this meetup? None other than American Gods star Orlando Jones. He blended in so well with the crowd playing Jenga and just casually hanging out like he was one of us!
The following year was officially the 2nd Annual BGNOC meetup back in San Diego. We changed our venue from the Grand Hyatt to the Pool Club over at the Hilton Bayfront. This was an open space that oversees the bay and has a pool! Our crowd increased once again in size and it brought in everyone from TV writers to comic book artists, to academics and more! That same year in 2016, Keith and I planned a NYCC BGNOC, with the venue being Bowlmor Lanes in Times Square.
For the first time, we charged a cover to attend the meetup. The reason for doing this was because of the use of bowling lanes as well as the space to keep it private for just our party. In spite of charging a cover; we had a pretty good turnout and everyone was pleased with the event.
That brings us to this past weekend at SDCC celebrating the 3rd annual BGNOC meetup back at The Pool Club inside of the Hilton Bayfront. This year was amazing and we were pleased to see Parisa Fitz-Henley of Midnight, Texas stop by and say hi. What was beautiful about this meetup as well were the repeat attendees from previous meetups. One example is Jon Tsuei who’s a comic book writer (Run, Love, Kill and Bitch Planet Triple Feature) and has been an attendee of the San Diego BGNOC meetup for the last three years.
The Black Girl Nerds of Color Meetup added Racialicious in year two which is the Arturo Garcia arm of the meetup. Seeing a representation of Black, Asian, and Latinx fans come to a safe space where they feel comfortable around fellow geeks of color makes a difference and is incredibly important. It’s not only that contingent of folks that come out to our meetups either, people of all different nationalities participate and yes, white people show up and show out too. This has never been promoted as an exclusive event but is meant to serve as an event by and for people of color who want fellowship and network with other marginalized groups as friends, fans, business partners, or just someone to geek out with for a few hours.
Next year, we plan to head back to the Pool Club in San Diego and we’re getting ready to start planning for New York Comic Con coming up shortly. What I would love to see in our near future is sponsorship of these meetups. Although each of these meetups on the front end has been successful and everyone who showed up had a great time, on the back end, there have been some bumps here and there because we share the space and don’t rent them out. Keith, Arturo, nor I have the budget to rent out the Pool Club or any other venue to make this space private and exclusive for our group. I would like to see the BGNOC meetups be a space where we can have cool door prizes, an open bar, and some special celebrity guest hosts. Anything is possible! If you like this post, I encourage you to spread the word about it, and if you know of anyone whether it’s a private individual, small business, or corporate entity that wishes to sponsor our future meetups; please have them contact jamie@blackgirlnerds.com. As the communities of BGN and NOC continue to grow, a higher demand will be expected of the meetups.
Our hope is to exceed those expectations.
Cheers!
Poverty, lack of resources, and more obstacles than most adults will encounter in a lifetime can pose massive roadblocks for girls of color to achieve. For three young African American girls from Baltimore, none of these circumstances have held them back.
Step Documentary (Image: Fox Searchlight)
Recently, Fox Searchlight, in partnership with Value Partnerships, screened Step, at the Century 9 Theaters in San Francisco and Black Enterprise was in attendance. The audience waited anxiously not knowing what to expect. Was the film about dance, was it about adversity, was it meant to be inspirational, or was it all of the above?
The lights faded down and the documentary began.
During the film, we witness an in-depth look into each of these high school seniors lives as they fight to get out of their current situations, aiming for higher education as a means of escapism. We watch as they tackle adversity through the streets of Baltimore, Maryland, set on the backdrop of The Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women. While in school, we witness the ladies push to elevate the school’s step team, led by Gari “Coach G” McIntyre, which had previously been defined by a legacy of failure. We watch as they fight to change not only the team’s legacy but their own.
There was laughter, crying, and inspiration. “I’m like a notch down from Beyoncé, because I do still mess up. Beyoncé doesn’t mess up. But even if she does, she pulls it off so good and I just don’t even notice it,” said Tayla.
After the screening, I had a chance to interview the entire cast including the three lovely ladies: Blessin’, Cori, and Tayla; Coach G; the tough as nails guidance counselor, Paula Dofat; and director, Amanda Lipitz, who admittedly stated, she was unfamiliar with the depths of step but she knew dance and knew that this story was one that had to be told.
Step Documentary Screening L to R: Sequoia Blodgett, Amanda Lipitz, Gari “Coach G” McIntyre, Tayla Solomon, Paula Dofat, Cori Grainger, Blessin’ Giraldo (Image: Regina Walton)
“Step taught me discipline,” said Blessin. “When I entered my first year of college, I didn’t take any step classes because I wanted to be completely focused on school.”
“That woman crying in the film, that’s not me,” said Paula Dofat. “I’m tough as nails, but I really care for these girls and want to see them succeed.”
The crowd erupted after Cori made her announcement as to where she decided to attend school and what she decided to major in. All of a sudden a bidding war broke out and every tech company in the building was vying for her attention. I don’t want to give it away but, you can use your imagination. Now I’m left to wonder where she will choose to start her professional practices.
Check out the new movie Step in theaters Aug. 4. We know some of you sorors and frats may want to go in bulk, so if you’re interested in a group sale or a theater buyout, email tamia@valuepartnerships.com #StepisLife.
Recorded live during the Asian American ComiCon Summit on Art, Action, and the Future.
In the wake of Wonder Woman, with Mulan on the horizon, what should we expect in a rich, textured, powerful and provocative Asian (or Asian American!) heroine? What’s worked, what hasn’t and why has it taken so damned long?
Moderated by The Hollywood Reporter’s Rebecca Sun, panelists include Paula Yoo (Writer/Producer, Supergirl); Sarah Kuhn (author of Heroine Complex); Samantha Jo (actor/stunts/Amazon, DC’s Wonder Woman); Claire Lanay (actress, podcaster, Afronerd Radio); and Sumalee Montano (Katana from Beware the Batman)!
All this and more on Hard NOC Life! Watch it on your screen, hit “play,” and check this.
As always, our official theme music is brought to you by the super team of Adam WarRock and Chops
