Growing up a Blerd, (Black Nerd) is at time a challenging experience. Not only, during the trials and tribulations of middle school, do you have to avoid name calling; add being black on top of that. Before nerd culture became mainstream, I was out here watching Star Wars and Dragon Ball Z as if Thanos was about to snap his fingers. A new release date for Harry Potter was essentially christmas and my Pokemon binder would have smacked anybody up.

Luckily my parents, especially my dad were all about obscure movie references and board games. My mother will still throw down on some Ms. Pac-Man. They raised my brothers and I to be different I will always be thankful for that. My siblings and I make it a big deal to catch premieres for anything monumental and has created the tightest bond any family could ask for. The youngest two are so lucky to grow up in a time where anime, role playing and card clubs are in style. It beats having to go all Stranger Things and hide down in the basement avoiding the local 6th grader bike gang.

Early adulthood was always challenging when dating, not everyone I would date would understand references or look at me weird when I start quoting The Last Jedi. Luckily, once you find that one who is willing to experience the culture then that when you know they’re a keeper. Shoutout to my lovely girlfriend for tolerating my love for it all.

The rest of the blerd community is growing up in an unprecedented time, we have TV shows, comics and movies representing us out here and the actors playing them grew up with the same love and understanding of how important it was for the community.

Adding another fold into what makes the black community unique is always a positive. It represents the every changing dynamic of what it means to be who we are. There are Kanyes and Donald Glovers, Dopeboys and Academics, Athletes and Nerds but I think all of us are a little bit of each. All except that Stacey Dash/ “Sunken Place “ Kanye side, they crazy.