Black Characters Matter Provides an Intense Look at Race Relations in Anime
It may be the year 2018, but the harsh reality is that society still has quite a long way to go in improving race relations. And with TV, movies, and video games being a reflection of society, there is no question that these, too, should be addressed.
Enter Black Nerds Matter.
The group is led by Diva T. Williams, a local educator, activist, and unpaid protester with a very noticeable and very impressive command of not only subject matter, but also the audience as a whole. She was joined by her sister, Ashanti, who recently studied abroad in South Korea, and artist Jumai Yusuf. Together, they presented their Friday panel Black Characters Matter to an audience that represented all races.
The panel naturally discussed black characters in both anime and American popular culture and how they were–and in some cases continue to be–represented. A wide range of representation was presented, from blatantly racist caricatures like Mr. Popo in Dragonball and Cyborg 008 in Cyborg 009 to strong, positive role models, like Atsuko Jackson from Michiko Hatchin and Claudia LaSalle from Macross.
But where the panel really shone was in Williams’ engaging and energetic interaction with her audience. Rich with wit and personal experience, the attendees touched upon a multitude of topics that need to gain traction if fandom ever hopes to be truly all-inclusive: coding certain characters as black (such as Garnet from Steven Universe), black fans cosplaying white characters and vice-versa, how black culture was witnessed in Korea and China cultures (in addition to America and Japan), and how phrases like “That wasn’t my intention” or “that’s just how things used to be then” are NOT, nor were they ever, valid exucses for persecution.
Perhaps the most touching moment came during a discussion of how the diversity of Anime Boston itself has increased over the years. More than a few attendees reported seeing one–or even zero–fellow black attendees at the 2008 convention; today, ten years later at the 2018 show, there is a Black Nerds Matter panel at which the majority of the audience is black. One fan summed it up beautifully: “Even if you have nothing to say, just show up. Because that way, someone else sees you.”
Black Nerds Matter will be giving another panel on Saturday at 10:30PM entitled Pulling Receipts; it will be held in Workshop 208.
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