When it comes to being a geek, I am the resident professional. Comics, anime, manga, television, movies, tabletop games, you name it, I know about it. References of pop culture fill my brain and explode out when someone mentions a word; I have something nerdy to say. For example, my sister mentioned that she wanted to catch up on the recent seasons of The Walking Dead. I dropped the bomb that some of the scenes filmed near her work and that she could have seen the cast in a random drive-by and not have known it, not to mention that the graphic novels are more comprehensive to the world than the show itself. I am an aficionado of random information. I have it and it must come out. This might be revealing of my own character flaw, but I have no time for that today.

When it comes to being a geek, I am the resident professional. I always thought this was the case. In my community, which is predominately African-American, I don’t fit in. I have been on the outside for most of my life. I read books, make the honor roll and enjoy the warmth of the inside away from contact sports. I read comics and love watching movies and television. The first character I identified with on television was Billy Cranston AKA the original blue power ranger, portrayed by David Yost from 1993-1996. His nerdy qualities and shyness emulated how I saw myself. Billy traversed the world as an outcast and became a superhero that saved the world on a daily basis. As cheesy as the show was, and it was cheesy, my younger self saw someone like me who became stronger than he was and overcame the obstacles that stood in his way. Every child needs this. There is something to be said about ‘seeing is believing.’ I saw and I believed.

I would later find other characters and real people, who shared my skin color that I identified with, but Billy was my first. Geek culture has changed over the years and has evolved from the stereotype of hiding in one’s parents basement to an inside joke the masses revel in, but they aren’t technically a part of. People watch The Big Bang Theory and Star Wars and figure that they now understand what it means to be a true geek. They don’t. They might never. And that is okay. Respect between parties makes for an excellent bridge to truly understand each other as human beings.

When it comes to being a geek, I thought I was the resident professional. In the past years I have learned that there is so much I don’t know. Honestly, I will never know all of it. But like so many nerds and geeks, I have been alone in my quest. No one was shouting from the rooftops about their fandoms, the shows they loved or even the comics they read. A perfect example of this happened a few years back when I was still in college. I attended Albany State University, an HBCU, and was a part of an anime club that touted about twelve members. We thought we were alone in our love of anime on campus. That was not true. I witnessed several random conversations of students who acted superior and too cool for our club talking about the latest rousing battle that had taken place between lead characters Naruto and Sasuke on Naruto Shippuden. They were hiding in plain sight. They felt like something was wrong with them loving something and revealing that fact to the world. I don’t know what their motivations were, but it shocked me how similar we all were under the cover of our own homes, where no one can see our nerdy shame.

Conventions like MomoCon and DragonCon propel geek and nerd culture to the forefront and allow those who are hiding in plain sight to let down their guards and be amongst their people. I always thought these conventions were places for people like me who didn’t have anyone to talk to about my interests with other like minds, and while this is true, conventions hold much more power to those who have not revealed their passions to the world. You will find accountants, lawyers, fry cooks and even principals who let down their hair, once they’ve put on a wig, and let their geek flag fly. It really is an honor to witness this. Conventions foster and empower the inner geek of all those who attend. It is a monumental moment to see someone break from their shell and let go all inhibitions into geek and nerd culture that they would normally keep to themselves.

When it comes to being a geek, I am still learning. It’s a good thing I love learning. My passions have helped me endure to this day and I hope they inspire you to let your inner geek show.

I’ll catch you guys later.