There’s only one event in DC where you can see an Afrocentric Wolverine doing the electric slide, attend a presentation on the evolution of the comic and animated series The Boondocks, and compete in an Uno tournament dressed as an Uno reverse card. (No matter what Uno’s official rules say, you can stack draw-fours.)
At BlerDCon, an annual convention celebrating Black nerd (“Blerd”) culture, all of the above is possible—and then some. Fostering an inclusivity that participants say is hard to find elsewhere, the three-day event has brought fans and creators together since 2017. This year’s event, held at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City on March 6-8, drew over 10,000 attendees, organizers said, with panels featuring and appearances from Deadpool 2 actress Zazie Beetz, rapper Redman, animation veteran Carl Jones, and comedian and Daily Show correspondent Dulce Soan.
Also on display? Some truly impressive cosplay. Washingtonian was on hand to check out the most creative and elaborate looks—and talk to the people behind them. Take a gander:
“I don’t feel out of place like this,” said Tameka Hendon, who has been attending since 2019. “It’s like a family reunion.” She said her friend handmade her customized cosplay, which features a motorized rotating ballerina in the wig, and was inspired by Queen Charlotte’s Swan wig in Bridgerton. “I love the creativity that’s always been here,” she said.
“It’s so cool to see so many Black nerds. I know we exist, I know we’re out there, and sometimes it can feel really isolating, like you’re the only one, so it’s really cool to see us all in one spot,” said Jaymie Davis, cosplaying Zoey from KPop Demon Hunters.
“As a kid, we didn’t have this space,” said Daphne Martin, cosplaying as Speed Racer from the 1960s TV show.
Arminta Crosby, a DC native cosplaying as Star Trek’s Lt. Uhura, said it makes sense to have BlerDCon in DC. “It is Chocolate City,” she said. “Don’t ever forget that it once was Chocolate City, and things like this show that it still is.”
A BlerdCon love story: Attendees Tara Gibbs and Nish Richardson got engaged at the end of a Spades tutorial panel. The couple met online, and met in person for the first time at a previous BlerDCon, Gibbs said.
For their first BlerDCon, brothers Joshua and Jason cosplayed as members of Organization XIII from the video game Kingdom Hearts. Their key blades were 3D-printed. “I just love the aesthetic,” Joshua said. “I’ve been to conventions before, but here the atmosphere is different. It feels more like I’m around my people, like where I’m supposed to be. I don’t think it gets talked about enough, to have cultural representation and a place where we can all congregate and enjoy each other’s company without feeling judged. I like it a lot.”
“My name is Benjamin Banks, and I’m the number one hero, yeah!” Banks, a participant in the cosplay contest, spent a month and 17 days working on his Teen Titans Cyborg costume, inspired by one of his “favorite comic book characters of all time.” Banks described his first BlerDCon as akin to the movie Sinners: “It’s just like Sinners before they turn into vampires. It’s like a giant family reunion.”
Cosplaying as an UNO card, Toni Robinson went to her first BlerDCon with her son for his 20th birthday: “For me, the look wasn’t about accuracy—it was about creativity. BlerdCon felt like the perfect space to blend fashion, nostalgia, and personality into one concept. And honestly, I just love green and UNO.”
Comic book author Adhim Deveaux was on hand promoting his Black story books. An advocate for mental health and Black representation in comics, he created an “urban vigilante” character named Scruff: “I was a fan of mental health, so you’ll see in the comic, I wanted to show the hero going to therapy, talking things out, of course there are things he can’t tell his therapist at night. He’s a husband, father and professor during the day, but at night, he puts on a mask and becomes The Unforgiving Scruff. He’s a brother caught between worlds, which is something a lot of people I think can relate to.”
BlerDCon 2027 will take place March 5–7, 2027 at Hyatt Regency Crystal City and Hilton Arlington National Landing.
Jenae Barnes previously reported and fact-checked for Capital B Gary in Indiana, 5280 Magazine in Denver, Forbes in New York and ABC News in Washington, D.C. She is a 2024 Pulitzer Center Reporting Fellow. As a DC-area native, she received her Bachelor’s from George Mason University and Master’s degree from Columbia Journalism School.
