A Month Of Giving Thanks Day 5 : Jamie of Black Girl Nerds

 

 

 

 

 

A month of giving thanks is a challenge to write a post everyday in November expressing thanks to the blogging community or for aspects of personal life.

 

 

 

Today I want to spotlight a special blogger/blog that I’m so thankful exists! This blogger has created a wonderful community in the digital world. Jamie Broadnax is the founder of Black Girl Nerds.  This site is devoted to celebrating and supporting the fangirl community. Jamie can tell it a lot better than me so here is part of he mission statement from her blog :

 

“Black Girl Nerds is a place for women of color with various eccentricities to express themselves freely and embrace who they are.  This is not a site exclusively for Black women.  It’s for ALL women who are just as nerdy as we are and the men who love and appreciate us.  I named this site Black Girl Nerds because the concept of Black women as geeky-dorky beings is somewhat of an anomaly.  It’s against the order of things in the “Black Girl” world.  We represent a wide array of diverse women who embrace all cultures and refuse to conform to the status quo.

This community does not have an exclusionary purpose.  The term “Black Girl Nerd” is not intended to be derogatory nor is it racially biased.  It is a term of endearment to all women like me who have been attached to a stigma that is not an accurate representation of my personality or my idiosyncratic behaviors.”

 

A large part of my life in fandom has been a solitary pursuit. Not only was I often the only girl at a lot of events I attended or passions I perused but I was also the only minority in many cases. I was always fortunate to be treated with respect because at the end of the day a geek is geek no matter what their race or skin color.

However there is nothing better than connecting with others who not only share your passion but have also walked a mile in your shoes. There is a shared history, and understanding that is comforting. When I first discovered Jamie’s blog it felt like that scene from Waiting to Exhale, where Whitney Houston’s character is describing that moment when you meet someone that makes you realize you were waiting your whole life to discover, and you just.. let.. go..

That’s what it feels like for me amongst the Blerd( Black Nerd) , community. From the very first visit to the site I felt that deep exhale, that sense of being HOME. And yet the community is not exclusionary. There are several men who follow Jamie and the #Blerd Community and nerds of all races often contribute too content on line and on Jamie’s poscast.

So be sure to give this awesome site a look!