Last Friday the lower level of the Hilton Chicago was transformed into a mini Wakanda. Lollapalooza might have been happening upstairs and across the street, but Wakandacon was in full swing downstairs. A small but devoted crowd of a few hundred people came to re-create the homeland of Black Panther.
Wakandacon 2018
Though there was no official permission from Marvel to reference the fictional country, it was clear that the event was intended to create someplace like Wakanda if only for three days: a thriving and successful black community without a reliance on outsiders. Here, it was all about a healthy black community interacting with and celebrating the things that they had in common and the things that made them unique. As for the competition from Lollapalooza and Gen Con, David Barthwell, one of the founders, says, “It was this weekend or the weekend of the Beyoncé concert, and we didn’t want to disrespect her.”
Wakandacon wasn’t just for locals. Writer and actress Erika Alexander, currently on a ten-city tour with her content company Color Farm Media, reached out to partner with Wakandacon in hopes of encouraging attendees to sign up for Color Farm Media’s nationwide Keep It Colorful initiative. The goal is to get at least 50 digital TV pilots by creators of color greenlit this year. “We are committed to diversity and inclusion,” Alexander said. “We know that the industry excluded some of the best talent, but we know that’s there’s money in there. A lot of money.”
For many attendees the feeling of not standing out in a crowd, of being part of a community of black nerds seemed to be the biggest draw. Whether you were a con newbie or a veteran or more focused on Afrofuturism than cosplay, there was something for you to see, and someplace where you could feel seen. Even though I was covering and not participating, I could see how exciting it would be for those who are not able to access these sorts of community events regularly. JP Fairfield, a regular con goer tweeted, “It’s so weird going to a con and seeing so many people with . . . hair like you . . . Skin like you . . . Not giving you weird looks. I don’t feel like an outsider. I need more of this.”
Though Wakandacon strove to be inclusive, there were some notable absences from the event. Without Marvel’s approval or support, there was a distinct lack of creators directly responsible for Black Panther on the page. (Since its acquisition by Disney, Marvel has pulled out of fan cons.) Writer Nnedi Okorafor, who was recently tapped to write a Shuri comic for Marvel, took to Twitter the first day of the convention stating “There’s a WakandaCon happening in Chicago (where I live). I was never invited. So I’m not going. The End.” Although some on Twitter who seemed to be friendly with one or more of the founders attempted to mediate the situation, Okorafor tweeted that she was busy and refused further discussion.
