Who are the Black nerds taking over cosplay?

They’re Black. They’re nerds. They’re BLERDS. Black cosplayers are demanding space for themselves in places like Dragon Con, the largest multi-media, pop culture convention of its kind. Dragon Con, an annual, five-day convention celebrating sci fi, horror and pop culture draws tens of thousands of people to downtown Atlanta, and has been a bastion for nerds since it began in 1987. In stereotypical form, its participants were predominantly young, white and male. But in recent years, the convention has grown more inclusive as the worlds of animé, comics and science fiction film and TV have diversified as well. Efforts to diversify Dragon Con’s audience and programming has come from attendees themselves who have organized groups and events to create a more welcoming space.