I should be a touch bit more specific. I’m overjoyed when I see black cosplay in a positive light. Sadly, I’m used to seeing it in an “I need to defend myself” kind of way. I say that because a lot of the black cosplayers I follow are ones I’ve found through reading an article written about racism in the community, seeing them brilliantly defend themselves from negative comments, or watching supposedly funny memes being shared that reduces their cosplay to tacky black stereotypes because—ha ha, a group of black people must be up to ghetto shenanigans, right? Don’t get me wrong: it’s good to see black cosplayers discuss the issues they deal with. The articles. The posts. The documentaries. The encouragement to go out there and be your wonderful, magical self despite the hate. All of that is amazing, and absolutely necessary. But just like being the lone black voice gets exhausting, it also gets exhausting to see black cosplay highlighted in defense.

That’s not what we came here for.

Just like every other cosplayer out there, we’re here for the fun of it all. We want to run around conventions dressed as the characters we love. We want to pose for pictures, hang out with friends, go to panels, meet guests—we want the full convention-going experience that everyone else gets. And while it’s important to have these diversity talks, it’s a bummer to discover an amazing cosplayer only because someone decided to call them the n-word.

That’s the beauty of #29DaysOfBlackCosplay.

For the entire month of February, black cosplayers are being promoted just ’cause. There’s no mockery. There’s no lack of visibility. It’s just black cosplay. The end.

My piece for #29DaysOfBlackCosplay is here :)