Photo credits: George Carmona III
As part of Black History Month at the Brooklyn Academy of Music or BAM, the Black Comic Collective returned for its second annual Black Comix Expo, a showcase of black independent creators throughout the U.S. Like many other independent conventions this one is a great place for Blerds and Geeks alike to come and fly their geek flag.
Along with vendors and cosplayers, there was the Afrofuturista: Representations of Black Women in Sci-Fi panel moderated by Afrofuturistic playwright Melanie Marie Goodreaux, with panelist Ashley Baccus-Clark, a neuroscientist and creative director, artists Sheeba Maya and Ashley A. Woods. The ladies broke down what sci-fi meant to them as women of color, and how that impacts their work.
The panelist also pulled double duty, in addition to being on that panel. Maya taught an art class for young teens and children and Baccus-Clark had her VR Experience: NeuroSpeculative Afro-Feminism available for attendees to engage with. “An award-winning VR platform, transports visitors into a NeuroCosmetology lab, a reimagined Black hair salon placing the user into a Black woman’s body giving a glimpse into a speculative future of Black women pioneering brain research through the culturally specific ritual of hair care.” Below is a short video of what people got to see in this virtual world, but understand the VR is more comprehensive, in the video you’re only seeing a slice of this amazing world.
As BCC founder Deirdre Hollman put it “If you’re in this community you already know they’re all shades of geek out there today. Young and old, from little tykes to Grandma and Grandpa, or die-hard sci-fi fans, it does my heart well because our purposes is for the fans and creators to meet. And we’re grateful to BAM for making this space available for us to do this.”
Here’s to next year.
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George Carmona 3rd is an Artist/Designer, former Milestone Media Intern, former DC Comics paper pusher, book lover and lifelong comic geek. You can find his work at FistFullofArt.com or follow him on
